Expand your global workforce in Kenya
Your guide to the employment landscape, working customs and local labor laws in Kenya
Capital
Nairobi
Currency
Kenyan Shilling (Ksh)
Languages
Swahili (Kiswahili), English
GDP per Capita
$2,282.76
Employer Tax
250 KES
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
Talent overview
Kenya has a market-based economy. Located on the Indian Ocean coastline, Kenya opens the door to the eastern Africa Market for businesses, making it a hub of economic, commercial, financial, and logistics activities in East Africa. The country has a development programme named “Vision 2030” from 2008 to 2030. Under this, the Kenyan government has been making continuous efforts to improve the country’s economic status. Major Industries in Kenya include agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, financial services, mining, etc.
Major economic hubs:
Nairobi, Mombasa
Skills in demand:
Accounting and Finance, Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Material procurement and management, Law, Education, Medicine, and Architecture
Kenya
Top local universities in Kenya
University of Nairobi
Ranking
Local: 1
World: 953
Kenyatta University
Ranking
Local: 2
World: 2,277
Strathmore University
Ranking
Local: 3
World: 3,213
United States International University Africa
Ranking
Local: 4
World: 3,980
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Ranking
Local: 5
World: 4,143
Top Local Job Boards:
Advance-Africa, bestjobs, Kenyancareer, Fuzu, and brightermonday
Number of LinkedIn users:
3,960,000
Top Recruitment Agencies:
Where to find talent
Top Local Job Boards:
Top Local Job Boards
Number of LinkedIn users:
Number of LinkedIn users
Top Recruitment Agencies:
Top Recruitment Agencies:
Salary Data
Average Salary of some common jobs in Kenya:
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (in KES) | Average Monthly Salary (in USD) |
| Financial Manager | 308,000 | 2,177 |
| General Manager | 260,000 | 1,838 |
| Business Development Manager | 236,000 | 1,668 |
| Financial Analyst | 192,000 | 1,357 |
| Business Analyst | 187,000 | 1,322 |
| Project Manager | 177,000 | 1,251 |
Employ in Kenya
Employing in Kenya
Employers hiring talents in Kenya should follow all the labor laws, payroll, benefits, and compliances of the country. Having good knowledge of employment laws along with benefits and compensations helps employers to attract the right candidate for the company and reduce employee turnover while managing all the compliances.
This section gives employers brief information about the same.
Employee Contract
In Kenya, employment contracts are governed by the Law of Contract Act, 2002 (revised 2012). The contract should be presented in a language that the employee understands. It can be of fixed or unlimited period of time. In the case of a fixed employment contract, the contract ends itself with the end of the period irrespective of dismissal or resignation.
Probation Period
The standard probationary period in Kenya is a maximum of 6 months. However, the period can be extended to a further 6 months, after discussion with the employee.
Public and Provincial Holidays
| Date | Name | Type |
| January 1 | New Year’s Day | National Holiday |
| March 31 | Idd ul-Fitr | National Holiday |
| April 18 | Good Friday | National Holiday |
| April 21 | Easter Monday | National Holiday |
| May 1 | Labour Day | National Holiday |
| June 1 | Madaraka Day | National Holiday |
| June 2 | Day off for Madaraka Day | National Holiday |
| October 10 | Mazingira Day | National Holiday |
| October 20 | Mashujaa Day | National Holiday |
| December 12 | Jamhuri Day | National Holiday |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | National Holiday |
| December 26 | Boxing Day | National Holiday |
Employee Leaves
| Type of leave | Time Period | Mandatory |
| Annual leave/Earned Leave | 21 days | Yes |
| Sick Leave | 14 days (first 7 days fully paid, next 7 days half-paid) | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 3 months | Yes |
Leave Compliance
Public and Provincial Holidays
Payroll in Kenya
Payroll cycle
In Kenya, employers usually follow a monthly payroll cycle and make payment at the end of the month.
Minimum wage
The minimum wage in Kenya varies by occupational sectors, skill levels, and geographical areas.
Read more
Overtime pay
Normal working hours shall not be more than 52 hours in week, distributed evenly over six days of the week.
Employers are liable to pay overtime to their employees as following:
Read more
How taxes work
Employer Payroll Tax
Employers must retain income tax and social security contributions from the salaries of employees. In Kenya, the PAYE system is used to calculate these deductions. Every month, employer has to submit the deducted money to the KRA (Kenya Revenue Authority)
| Employer Contributions | Employer Payroll Tax |
| National Social Security Fund | KSH 200 per month |
| National Industrial Training Levy (NITA) | 50 KES per employee |
Employee Payroll Tax
| Employee Contributions | Employee Payroll Tax |
| National Social Security Fund (Pension) | KSH 200 per month |
| National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) ( Applicable on employees earning above 100,000 KES / month. From 1st Jan, 2022 tax relief will be applicable at 15% of the amount contributed) | 1700 KES |
Employee Income Tax
| Annual Taxable Income
(Kenyan Shilling, KES) |
Tax Rate (%) |
| On the first 288,000 | 10 |
| On the next 100,000 | 25 |
| On the next 5,612,000 | 30 |
| On the next 3,600,000 | 32.5 |
| Above 9,600,000 | 35 |
VAT
Value Added Tax (VAT) is applicable in Kenya, and it ranges between 0% – 16% depending on the nature of the goods.
Bonus
13th Month Pay
There is no provision for paying 13th month pay in the country. It solely depends upon employers if they wish to pay any bonus to employees.
Employee Benefits
Employees are entitled to the following benefits:
- Maternity leave
- Paternity Leave
- Parental Leave in case of adoption
- Retirement benefits
- Health Insurance under NHIF
- Social Security under NSSF
- Housing Allowance/ Housing accommodation
- Clean water supply for housing accommodation
- Food if agreed during contract
- Medical help for illness
Employee offboarding
As per Employment Act, employer needs to follow fair termination procedure as per the law or as per the contract signed between employee and employer. Employer has to give notice in writing and give a valid reason for termination.
The notice period for Kenyan employees will be up to 28 days.
Yes, in case of redundancy, the employer has to pay a severance of not less than 15 days’ pay for each year completed of service.
Visa and
immigration
For foreign nationals, to work legally in the country, there are some strict immigration rules. Under that, it is mandatory to obtain the following documents to work in Kenya.
- Class D Permit
- Special Pass
- Alien Card (if stay is longer than 90 days)
Your employment toolkit for Kenya
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Overtime Pay
Minimum Wage
| Job Type | Cities: Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu | All former municipalities and Town councils of Mavoko, Ruiru and Limuru | Other Areas | |||
| Per Hour (KES) | Per Month (KES) | Per Hour (KES) | Per Month (KES) | Per Hour (KES) | Per Month (KES) | |
| Cleaner, gardener, general worker, house servant, children’s ayah, sweeper, day watchmen, messenger | 135.90 | 15,201.65 | 124.20 | 14,025.40 | 75.95 | 8,109.90 |
| Cook, waiter, miner, stone cutter, turn boy, logger line cutter | 148.00 | 16,417.90 | 125.90 | 14,566.40 | 84.70 | 9,370.30 |
| Nightwatchmen | 153.00 | 16,959.00 | 139.20 | 15,722.60 | 84.70 | 9,370.30 |
| Machine attendant, sawmill sawyer, machine assistant, mass production machinist, shoe cutter, bakery worker, bakery assistant, tailor’s assistant | 158.75 | 17,229.50 | 140.55 | 16,033.15 | 116.80 | 12,995.25 |
| Machinist (made-to-measure), shoe upper preparer, vehicle service worker (petrol and service stations), bakery plant hand, laundry operator, junior clerk, wheeled tractor driver (light) | 176.50 | 19,668.30 | 147.95 | 18,399.70 | 135.90 | 15,043.10 |
| Car driver, printing machine operator, bakery machine operator, plywood machine operator, sawmill dresser, shop assistant, machine tool operator, dough maker, table hand baker, table hand confectioner, copy-typist, light van driver | 184.70 | 20,517.80 | 168.45 | 18,936.85 | 139.10 | 15,652.30 |
| Clerk, pattern designer, garment and dress cutter, single hand oven men, charge-hand baker, telephone operator, receptionist, storekeeper | 210.90 | 24,413.50 | 169.60 | 21,405.50 | 163.90 | 18,251.50 |
| Tailor, medium-sized vehicle driver | 229.70 | 25,804.15 | 211.20 | 23,716.20 | 189.55 | 21,147.00 |
| Dyer, crawler tractor driver, Salesmen | 256.00 | 28,487.40 | 238.10 | 26,579.60 | 211.50
|
23,988.70
|
| Saw doctor, caretaker | 283.60 | 31,525.30 | 238.10 | 26,579.60 | 211.50
|
23,988.70
|
| Cashier, heavy commercial vehicle driver, salesmen-driver | 309.10 | 34,302.75 | 291.80 | 32,280.75 | 272.20 | 30,266.80
|
| Artisan – ungraded | 184.70 | 20,517.85 | 168.45 | 18,936.85 | 139.95
|
15,652.50
|
| Artisan – Grade III | 229.65 | 25,804.20 | 211.20 | 23,716.20 | 189.65 | 21,107.00 |
| Artisan – Grade II | 256.00 | 27,870.15 | 238.10 | 26,579.60 | 211.75 | 23,988.70 |
| Artisan – Grade I | 309.10 | 34,302.75 | 291.80 | 32,280.75 | 272.30 | 30,266.90 |
Overtime Pay
| Overtime Working Hours | Compensation |
| >52 hours | 1.5 times of normal hourly rate |
| Employee working on rest day or public holidays | 2 times of normal hourly rate |
Visa and Immigration