Hire and pay employees in Kenya compliantly from day one
Easily hire employees in Kenya with Deel. Deel's best-in-class Employer of Record setup allows us to handle local laws, tax and benefits, and international payroll on your behalf in 150+ countries including Kenya.
Backed by local experts and built-in compliance protection, your next hire could start in as little as 1 days with Deel.
Onboard, pay and manage employees in Kenya with Deel
Usually, to hire in Kenya, your business needs an entity. That means a local office, an address registered as a subsidiary, and an account with a local bank. All of this, plus navigating regional benefits, payroll, and licensing, can take months.
Now you can hire employees in Kenya quickly, easily and compliantly. Automate tax document collection, payroll, benefits, and more. And once your new hire is onboarded, Deel HR keeps their time off and documents in one place, so managing your team in Kenya doesn't mean a separate system.
Already have an entity in Kenya? Our PEO services can run payroll and compliance for your direct employees.
Currency Kenyan Shilling (KES)
Capital Nairobi
Official language Swahili and English,
Payroll cycle Monthly
All the necessary benefits for Kenya built right in
Deel allows you to provide localised benefits for employees in Kenya within minutes. All from one manageable online dashboard in a single HR platform.
- National Housing Development Fund
- National Industrial Training Fund
- National Social Security Fund
- Private Healthcare - Unisure (optional)
- Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA)
- National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)
- Private Healthcare - Allianz (optional)
Our quick-start guide to hiring in Kenya
Navigate the tabs below to learn everything you need to know about hiring an employee in Kenya
Minimum Wage Requirements
The minimum wage is KES 15,201.65 per month.
Individual Income Tax
The individual income tax ranges from 10% to 30%. Income tax is calculated according to progressive rates and the government uses a pay-as-you-earn model.
| Gross Annual Income | Tax Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| On the first 288,000 | 10% |
| On the next 100,000 | 25% |
| On all remaining income in excess of 388,000 | 30% |
Payroll Cost
The employer cost is generally estimated at 9.01% of the employee's salary.
National Social Security Fund Contribution - 6.0%*
WIBA (Work Injury Benefits Act) Contribution - 0.91%
NITA (National Industrial Training Authority) Contribution - KES 50
Affordable Housing Levy - 1.5%
*up to a maximum salary for the contribution of KES 36,000.
Employer Liability Cost - An administrative fee of 0.60% is applied to ensure ongoing worker compensation and liability coverage
These costs are provided as estimates and are intended solely for general informational purposes. To fully comprehend all associated costs and fees related to the terms of any employment agreement for this country, please contact our Sales team for a quote.
Overtime Pay & Maximum Hours
Overtime pay is not mandatory for senior staff, as extra work hours are factored into their salaries. Overtime pay is mandatory for junior staff. Hours outside standard work hours are considered overtime. Employees can work a maximum of 52 hours per week (12 hours of overtime). For additional hours, employees are paid 1.5 times the regular hourly salary, and 2 times the regular hourly salary if they work overtime on a rest day or public holiday. Standard working hours are 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week. The standard work week is Monday to Friday.
Hiring in Kenya, hassle-free
With Deel, your business can easily hire employees in Kenya with our EOR solution. If you have an entity, our Global Payroll solution takes care of payroll and compliance for your direct employees. Our 250+ in-house experts handle everything, from managing local laws and complex tax systems to running your payroll in Kenya and 150+ other countries.
Management fee
Starting at
$599
/month
Estimated Employer Cost
9.01%
of employee salary