Average Salary in Kenya

Table of Contents

Kenyan Hourly Salary

Kenyan Hourly Salary is 1,500 Kenyan Shillings. That means that the average hourly wage in Kenya is about $1.25 per hour.

Kenyan Hourly Salary varies depending on the industry – for example, an accountant could earn twice as much as a housekeeper or construction worker would earn.

There are also many different factors that can affect your Kenyan Hourly pay such as age and gender; women typically make less than men due to unequal pay practices and societal norms around childcare responsibilities.

The minimum wage in Kenya is 3,000 Kenyan Shillings (about $30) per month but it’s not enforced by law so employers can offer less if they want to attract workers with low skillsets or if the worker is young and inexperienced.

Annual Salary Raise in Kenya

Do annual salary increases in Kenya? How frequently do workers receive wage rises?

Annual salary raises in Kenya are standard practice.

If you work for a company, your annual salary raise is usually based on the performance review by your supervisor and the performance of the company overall.

The amount of wage increase will depend on how well you did at work this year and what kind of results your company achieved. Salaried employees who have been with their companies for many years may also get an automatic annual pay rise to keep up with inflation rates.

This means that even if there were no changes to skills or responsibilities, they would automatically be getting more money just because time has passed since their last raise.

Salary by Experience in Kenya

How does one’s pay grow over time?

In Kenya, the median salary for a fresh college graduate is about KES 300,000 per month.

In contrast, for someone who has been in the workforce for 10 years or more and has managerial experience, that number jumps to roughly KES 900,000 per month.

This means that if you’re just getting out of school and looking to find your first job in Kenya, the starting salary will be around $3000 USD per month.

If you’re a 10 year veteran with some management responsibilities on top of your other duties (which is quite common), then you can expect to make close to $9000 USD per month–a significant difference!

Average Pay Growth Rates by Experience in Kenya

In Kenya, the average pay growth rates by experience are as follows:

Entry-Level Employees – 0% and 1%.
Experienced employees – 2% and 3%
Highly Experienced Professionals – 4%.

The highest experienced professionals with more than 10 years in their field can expect to see an annual salary increase from 7 up to 8%.

Management Professions also get an annual salary increase from 9-10%, whereas top executives can get up to 11.5% on the year. In total, these numbers show that there is no clear correlation between experience and pay raise percentages in Kenya.

How much does a Kenyan worker make?

Most people are unaware of the intricacies of Kenyan labor. The average salary in Kenya is 1,098,000 KES per month or estimated to be $10,063 USD. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and an hourly rate.

The data was collected by the World Bank from various sources including national agencies and non-governmental organizations.

The total population for Kenya is 46 million people with 11% living below the poverty line which translates to 4 million Kenyans experiencing extreme poverty every day.

The average income for those classified as middle class in Kenya ranges from KES 2,700 to 3,500 per month or $2400-$3000 USD annually while high earners earn from KES 7,000 to 9,000 per month or $600-$800 USD annually.

However, the middle class is classified as those individuals earning between 500,000 and 800,000 Kenyan Shillings which translates to either $4100 -$6700 USD annually while high earners are individuals who earn more than 1 million Kenyan Shillings or $9200 USD a year.

Distribution of Salaries in Kenya

Wage Scale

A month’s salary in Kenya may vary from 3,710 Kenyan Shillings (KES) to 656,000 KES. A job that requires a university degree like law or medicine earns on average around 730,000 KES per month.

The lowest-paid may make as little as 3,710 KES; whereas the highest-paid can make ten times more than this (i.e., 36,100 KES).

Median Earnings

Half of the population (50%) earns less than 141,000 KES each month, while the other half (50%) earns more than 141,000 KES. The average citizen makes around 252,000 KES each month.

A Kenyan worker’s monthly median earnings are 141,000 KES. A person is employed if they worked for at least an hour for salary during the survey reference week (the week including and immediately preceding the 20th day of the given month).

This excludes people on unpaid vacation or sick leave; those doing their military service; as well as those who were working but not paid (for example due to lack of work). Work is any activity done in exchange for payment including work experience gained through family assistance.

Percentiles

25%of the population earns less than 80,200 KES, whereas 75% of the population earns more than 80,200 KES.

The first quartile, the median, and the third quartile of Kenya’s income distribution curve are at 80,200 KES, 95,700 KES, and 113,900 KES respectively.

5% of the population earns less than 29,430 KES whereas 25%of the population earns more than 29,430 KES.

What is the difference between the average and the median in terms of compensation?

The difference between the average and the median is that one is higher than the other.

The average, also called the arithmetic mean or simply “mean”, is calculated by adding up all of the values in a set and then dividing by how many there are. In terms of compensation, this would be the total amount of money that was paid out in a year divided by the number of employees.

The median is found by first putting all of the numbers into order from smallest to largest and then picking the middle one.

Gender Pay Gap Salary in Kenya

In Kenya, women are currently earning on average KES 5,000 less than men. The gender pay gap is the difference in wages between men and women who work in the same occupation and have equal skills and qualifications.

This gap can be due to a number of factors such as different education levels, occupational segregation (women tending to go into lower-paying occupations), wage discrimination (pay discrepancies arising from differences other than skills or experience), part-time work, low unionization rates among female workers, etc.

However it is not just about money; there are also concerns about how this affects society at large by limiting economic independence for women and their families, perpetuating gender inequality in the workplace, and entrenching traditional notions of caregiving responsibilities.

Salary By Education in Kenya

How does education impact salary in Kenya?

Education has a huge impact on your future salary in Kenya because most jobs will require at least a high school diploma. The more education you have, the more money you will make.

A survey of salaries in Kenya shows that those with a university degree earn an average of KES 437,000 per year while those with only a high school diploma earn KES 227,000 on average. This is a huge difference and it is clear that if you want to make more money, you need to continue your education.

However, it is important to note that these numbers are just averages. There are many jobs that pay much more than this and there are also many jobs that pay much less. It is important to do your research and find out what the average salary is for your desired profession before making any decisions about your education.

Yearly Industrial Growth Rate

Education – 3%
Healthcare – 3%
Travel – 6%
Banking – 3%
Telecommunications – 3%
Retail – 6%
Real Estate – 3%
Manufacturing – 5%
Agriculture – 4%

Kenyan Bonus and Reward Systems

How frequently and how much are bonuses given?

In Kenya, there are no hard and fast rules on how frequently and how much are bonuses given but it has been seen that most Kenyan workers get rewarded with cash rewards when they perform better than average or go beyond what was required of them by their employer.

However, it is noted that when an employee exceeds the expectations of their employer in any given year or month, especially in terms of working hours and level of productivity and they do so again in the next period they may be rewarded with a pay rise.

Bonuses Categories

Individual Performance Bonuses

Individual performance bonuses are given to an individual in recognition of their contribution to the company or organization.

They are usually paid out in addition to an employee’s base salary, but the criteria for eligible employees for this type of bonus can vary.

Performance-based pay

Performance-based pay is a bonus system for organizations and companies that reward employees based on their performance.

Performance-based pay is not guaranteed and can often cause discrepancies in the workplace with some employees receiving more than others.

If there is a discrepancy in an organization’s performance-based pay, it can become problematic when trying to determine which employees deserve higher wages.

This problem has been addressed by the implementation of an automated system that manages these bonuses and raises.

Objective-based Bonuses

An objective-based bonus system is a system that rewards employees based on their performance. It can be a difficult system to manage as it rewards the highest performing employees and the lowest-performing employees.

This system is usually implemented with an automated system that manages these bonuses and raises, but it can still cause discrepancies in the workplace as those who deserve higher wages often only receive them from promotions.

Holiday/Year-End Bonuses

Holiday/year-end bonuses are a form of bonus that is usually given to employees near the end of the year. The purpose of this bonus is to provide employees with extra financial compensation in addition to their regular salary.

This type of bonus is discretionary, meaning that employers are not obligated to give them out, but they are often given as a way to show appreciation to employees for their hard work.

Bonus Rate by Job Position

What qualifies a job for excellent bonuses and a good wage?

It all depends on the level of responsibility. For example, if you are an individual contributor, your earnings potential is limited to an annual bonus based on company performance and a raise based on how well you do in relation to your peers.

If you hold a management position, then there is room for more significant growth since managers typically earn bonuses that are often 2-4 times their base salary as well as receive yearly raises that can range from 4% to 8%.

The best way to increase earnings potential is by changing jobs frequently; this will result in higher pay rates each time because companies typically offer better salaries and benefits packages when hiring new employees.

It also helps to have some sort of degree, certification, or special skill that is in high demand in the marketplace.

Bonuses by Length of Service in Kenya

Kenyan employers offer bonuses to employees based on the number of years they have worked for the company. The longer an employee has been with the company, the larger the bonus.

This policy is an incentive for employees to stay with the company for a long time and contributes to job security.

Top Job Salaries in Kenya

Advertising / Graphic Design / Events

Art Director – 152,000 KES
Creative Director – 148,000 KES
Graphic Designer – 99,700 KES
Photographer – 81,300 KES

Architecture

Architect – 181,000 KES
CAD Drafter – 80,400 KES
Quantity Surveyor – 148,000 KES

Marketing / Digital Media

Digital Marketing Specialist – 106,600 KES
Marketing Manager – 120,200 KES
Advertising Sales Executive – 34,700 KES
Media Planner and Strategist – 96,500 KES
Public Relations Officer – 77,400 KES

Events Management

Head of Events and Corporate Services – 84,400 KES
Assistant Director of Event Planning and Logistics- 51,100 KES
Events Coordinator – 36,200 KES
Conference and Banqueting Supervisor – 31,600 KES

IT / Telecoms

IT Manager – 150,000 KES
ICT Manager – 145,000 KES
Java Developer – 114,000 KES
Web Developer – 104,000 KES
Mobile App Developer – 107,000 KES
Telecoms Engineer – 136,500 KES

Accounting and Finance

Controller – 146,000 KES
Finance Manager – 121,800 KES
Financial Analyst – 102,700 KES
Accountant (General) – 80,800 Kes
Tax Advisor – 116,000 Kes

Healthcare/ Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical Sales Executive – 98,000 KES
Medical Officer – 89,800 KES
Nurse- 91,300 KES

Salary Comparison in Kenyan Public and Private Sectors

The Kenyan public sector is made up of the government and its associated organizations.

On the other hand, the private sector encompasses all enterprises that are owned by individuals or groups of individuals who invest in them to make a profit.

The two sectors have different approaches when it comes to salaries for their workers.

Salaries in Kenya’s public sector are determined centrally while those in the private sector depend on negotiations between employers and employees based on market forces.

This difference can be attributed to several factors, including wage control policies, differences in skills required across industries, and how much risk an individual wants to take with his/her earnings.