Employer of record in Kenya
24 sourced figures on hiring in Kenya, drawn from 6 sources and normalized for comparison: statutory rules, employer cost and exactly what an EOR covers locally. Every figure is dated.
Hiring here: moderately complex, inexpensive to employ, and fast to hire via EOR.
Employer of record in Kenya: the statutory snapshot
The headline employer costs, pay floor and worker protections for hiring in Kenya through an employer of record, each figure sourced and dated. 36 EOR providers cover Kenya.
| Minimum wage | 18,047 | Manual / editor, 2026-05-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Employer social security | 6% | ISSA Country Profiles, 2024-01-01 |
| Corporate tax | 30% | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Notice period | 4.3 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Severance | 11.4 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Annual leave (minimum, once eligible) | 21 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Public holidays | 11 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Maternity leave | 13 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
As of 2026-10-11. Each value is the winning figure from primary and harmonized sources, resolved by a documented priority chain. Full record with provenance below.
Reading the data
What the figures say about Kenya
Kenya's statutory minimum wage stands at 18047, which sits above the average monthly wage of employees at KES 13933 as reported in 2019. Employers contribute 6% to social security while employees pay 8.75%, a combination that adds to the top personal income tax rate of 35% on earnings. There is no 13th salary requirement. Exiting an employee involves statutory severance of 11.4 weeks plus a notice period of 4.3 weeks, and workers are owed 12.9 weeks of maternity leave and 2 weeks of paternity leave, on top of 11 public holidays a year. The standard workweek runs 46 hours as of 2021, and the standard VAT rate is 16%. Retirement age is set at 60 years.
Where to start
Three ways to hire in Kenya
You are the employer. Lowest per head cost at scale, months to establish.
You direct the work, the provider's local entity is the employer on paper. Compliant in days.
See the 36 providers below ↓Not your employee. Fastest and cheapest, with misclassification exposure.
The full record
Every figure behind the snapshot
Not a guide, a record: 24 figures for Kenya from 6 sources, last refreshed 2026-10-11. Each value carries its source and the date it was pulled. Hover any provenance tag for the full chain.
Average monthly earnings in Kenya by occupation (2019)
Gross monthly earnings of employees per ISCO-08 major occupation group, in KES — the official ILOSTAT survey figures, not estimates. Use them to sanity-check an offer before an EOR quote turns it into total employer cost.
| Occupation group | Monthly (KES) | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 13,933 | $137 |
| Managers · ISCO 1 | 58,575 | $574 |
| Professionals · ISCO 2 | 31,414 | $308 |
| Technicians and associate professionals · ISCO 3 | 27,865 | $273 |
| Clerical support workers · ISCO 4 | 25,366 | $249 |
| Service and sales workers · ISCO 5 | 12,299 | $121 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers · ISCO 6 | 4,461 | $44 |
| Craft and related trades workers · ISCO 7 | 8,422 | $83 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers · ISCO 8 | 13,334 | $131 |
| Elementary occupations · ISCO 9 | 4,809 | $47 |
Source: ILOSTAT (EAR_EMTA, employees, both sexes), reference year 2019. Survey earnings differ from statutory minimums above.
// recent updates
What changed in Kenya
Checked against official sources on 17 September 2026
No rule changes recorded since we began logging them.
Every figure is sourced and dated. How we verify the data →
The differentiator
What an EOR handles in Kenya
An EOR removes the entity and the payroll machinery. It does not remove your obligations as the people manager.
Provider × country
Who can employ in Kenya
36 providers operate an EOR in Kenya, ranked by Select Score.
Comparing EOR options for Kenya?
Run a side-by-side on the providers that actually operate there.