The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has revealed the highest to lowest-paying jobs in both the private and public sectors in 2024.
KNBS, in its 2025 Economic Survey, while revealing the average wage earnings per employee in different sectors, said that overall average annual earnings increased from Ksh894,200 in 2023 to Ksh933,100 in 2024.
Average annual earnings in the private sector exhibited a similar trend, increasing from Ksh919,900 in 2023 to Ksh966,600 in 2024, while those in the public sector increased from Ksh838,700 thousand in 2023 to Ksh861,400 thousand in 2024.
Employees of foreign Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and multilateral organizations have once again emerged as the top earners in the private sector.
2024’s highest and lowest paying jobs in Kenya
The survey shows that workers in extraterritorial organizations and bodies earned an average of Ksh4,236,578 million annually (approximately Ksh353,048 per month) in 2024, a 4.1% increase from the Ksh4,071,284.3 average annual pay recorded in 2023.
These include staff working in well-funded foreign non-governmental and multilateral agencies such as the United Nations, World Bank, and USAID.
They were trailed by the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sector, whose employees took home an average pay of Ksh2,463,241.6 per year of (approximately Ksh205,270 monthly), and those in the financial and insurance activities sector Ksh2,376,991.7 annually (approximately Ksh198,082 monthly).
In the public sector, the top earners were in the accommodation and food service activities sector Ksh2,998,364 annually (Ksh249,864 per month), followed by transportation and storage sector Ksh2,612,847 (Ksh217,737 monthly), and financial and insurance activities sector Ksh2,287,834 (Ksh190,653).
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Public health employees, including doctors, earned an average of Ksh153,478 per month, which was more than their private health sector counterparts’ average of Ksh107,765.8.
KNBS report on highest private sector paying jobs by average in 2024
| Sector | Annual Average Wage Earnings per Employee (Ksh) | Monthly Average Wage Earnings per Employee (Ksh) |
| Activities of foreign NGOs and multilateral bodies | 4,236,578.4 | 353,316 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 2,463,241.6 | 205,270 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 2,376,991.7 | 198,986 |
| Administrative and support service activities |
1,970,460 | 164,205 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 1,787,466 | 148,956 |
| Transportation and storage | 1,733,655.6 | 144,471 |
| Other service activities | 1,432,327.5 | 119,360 |
| Information and communication | 1,365,023 | 113,752 |
| Human health and social work activities |
1,293,190 | 107,765.8 |
KNBS report on highest public sector paying jobs by average in 2024
| Sector | Annual Average Wage Earnings per Employee (Ksh) | Monthly Average Wage Earnings per Employee (Ksh) |
| Accommodation and food service activities |
2,998,364 | 249,864 |
| Transportation and storage | 2,612,847 | 217,737 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 2,287,834 | 190,653 |
| Human health and social work activities |
1,841,736 | 153,478 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply |
1,604,825 | 133,735 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 1,343,572 | 111,964 |
| Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
1,252,467 | 104,372 |
| Manufacturing | 1,154,006 | 96,167 |
| Information and communication | 1,062,770 | 88,564 |
The leading industries in the private sector in 2024 providing the highest employment numbers were manufacturing and agriculture, and forestry and fishing, accounting for 15.9 per cent and 14.1 per cent, respectively.
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In the public sector, wage employment registered a growth of 3.1 per cent in 2024 compared to 5.9 per cent in 2023.
Employment, Earnings and Consumer Prices
Industries with the highest employment levels in the public sector were Education; and Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security, which accounted for 45.2 per cent and 34.4 per cent of total employment in the sector, respectively, in 2024.
The nominal wage bill grew by 7.2 per cent to Ksh2.999 trillion in 2024.
The private sector wage bill expanded by 7.7 per cent to Ksh2.117 trillion in 2024, while the public sector wage bill increased by 5.8 per cent to Ksh881,400,000,000 in 2024, accounting for 29.4 per cent of the total wage payments in 2024.
Overall average annual earnings increased from Ksh894,200 thousand in 2023 to Ksh933,100 thousand in 2024.
Overall, real annual average earnings per employee decreased from Ksh667,300 thousand in 2023 to Ksh665,400 thousand in 2024.
According to KNBS, employment in Kenya is categorized into three sectors, namely: formal (modern), informal, and small-scale agriculture.
The 2025 Economic Survey reveals that employment in the modern and informal sectors, excluding small-scale agriculture, went up from 20 million in 2023 to 20.8 million in 2024.
A total of 782,300 new jobs were created in the economy in 2024. The modern sector created a total of 78,600 thousand jobs in 2024, reflecting a growth of 2.4 per cent.
The informal sector created 703,700 new jobs compared to 720,900 thousand in 2023, accounting for 90.0 per cent of all new jobs created, excluding small-scale agriculture.
In the private sector, wage employment registered a growth of 2.1 per cent in 2024 compared to 3.3 per cent in 2023.
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