Kenya does not have one national minimum wage. Instead, wage orders set minimum pay by sector, job category and location, and they are revised from time to time. If you want to know whether you are paid fairly, you need to find the order that applies to you.

How the system works

The Minister for Labour issues Regulation of Wages orders after advice from wages councils. The main ones are:

  • The General Order, which covers most non-agricultural workers, with different minimums for cities, municipalities and other areas, and for different job categories such as general labourers, cleaners, gardeners, cooks and drivers.
  • The Agricultural Industry Order, which covers farm and plantation workers.

In 2024 the minimum wages under the General Order were raised by about 6%. For a general labourer in the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, the monthly minimum is around KES 16,100, with lower figures in other areas. Check the current gazette notice, because dates and amounts are revised.

Minimum pay is a floor, not a target

Many employees earn more than the minimum, and a contract can always give more. The minimum matters most for domestic workers, security guards, casual workers and others in lower-paid roles. Minimum pay is basic pay: housing and other allowances may count toward it in some cases, so check how your order treats them.

How to check your pay

  1. Find your job category and your area in the order that applies.
  2. Compare the order's figure with your basic monthly pay before any deductions.
  3. Remember that deductions such as PAYE, NSSF, SHIF and the Housing Levy come after; at low pay most of them are small.

The minimum wage checker makes this simple: choose your town and job category, enter your pay and it tells you whether you meet the minimum. To see how much of your pay you keep after deductions, use the PAYE calculator.

If you are paid less than the minimum

  • Ask your employer to explain the pay in writing.
  • Keep copies of your contract, payslips and bank or M-Pesa records.
  • Contact the county labour office, which can advise and investigate.
  • Remember that you may be owed the difference for the past period.

What employers should do

Check your wage bill against the order each year and each time it changes. Show wages clearly on a payslip; the free payslip generator workbook does this for one employee, and the weekly casual wages sheet covers casual and daily workers. Budget for rises with the salary increment planner and the staff cost and headcount budget planner. Domestic workers need records too; read how to run payroll for a small business.

Beyond pay

Minimum rules also cover overtime, rest days and leave. See overtime pay rules and annual leave rights.

If you are an employer working out what a new hire will really cost, the staff cost and headcount budget planner adds the employer's NSSF and Housing Levy to each salary. Employees can use the net to gross salary calculator to see what gross pay is needed for a target take-home, and hiring your first employee explains the contract and registrations on the employer side.

Wage orders change. Confirm the figure that applies to you in the latest Kenya Gazette notice or with the labour office.

Common questions

Does the minimum wage include housing allowance? No. The schedule states basic minimum wages exclusive of housing allowance, so unless housing is provided, the allowance is payable on top, unless your contract states that pay is consolidated.

Who is covered by the wage orders? Employees in the occupations listed in the orders, in the areas shown, including many domestic and shop workers. Agricultural workers have their own order.

What can I do if I am paid below the minimum? Raise it in writing with the order and the date, and if it is not corrected, contact the county labour office, which can inspect and order payment of arrears.