Kenya's 2025 Economic Survey: List of Highest-Paying Job Sectors
- The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released the 2025 Economic Survey, outlining economic developments and trends
- KNBS's survey revealed that workers in well-funded multilateral agencies and NGOs earned an average of KSh 353,048 monthly
- Employees in the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sector took home an average of KSh 205,270 per month
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TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto brings over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering profound insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.
Kenya's 2025 Economic Survey has revealed that employees of foreign non-governmental and multilateral agencies, like the United Nations, solidified their position as the highest-paid private sector workers in Kenya.
Source: Getty Images
Which sectors were the highest-paid in 2024?
The survey published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicated that the annual pay of workers in these two sectors surpassed that of employees in the energy and financial services sectors.
Workers in well-funded multilateral agencies and NGOs, such as the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development, earned an average of KSh 353,048 per month last year, reflecting a 4.1% increase from 2023.
The high salaries offered by these organisations enable them to draw top talent from around the globe, some of whom are hired on wages and other benefits based on pay standards in their wealthier home countries.
The next highest earners were those in the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sector, earning an average of KSh 205,270 per month, followed by employees in financial services, with an average monthly salary of KSh 198,082. Both sectors require specialised skills.
The highest-paying positions in the public sector were accommodation and food services (KSh 249,864), transportation and storage (KSh 217,737) and financial services sectors at KSh 190,653.
Public health employees, including doctors, earned an average of KSh 153,478 per month, which was more than their private health sector counterparts' average of KSh 107,766.
Source: Getty Images
Full list of highest-paying sectors
| Sector | Average annual earnings | Average monthly salary |
| 1. Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies | 4,236,578.4 | 353,048.2 |
| 2. Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 2,463,241.6 | 205,270 |
| 3. Financial and insurance activities | 2,376,991.7 | 198,082.6 |
| 4. Administrative and support service activities | 1,970,460.2 | 164,205 |
| 5. Professional, scientific and technical activities | 1,787,466.0 | 148,955 |
| 6. Transportation and storage | 1,733,655.6 | 144,471.3 |
| 7. Other service activities | 1,432,327.5 | 119,360.6 |
| 8. Information and communication | 1,365,023.0 | 113,751.9 |
| 9. Human health and social work activities | 1,293,190.0 | 107,765.83 |
| 10. Education | 1,092,942.8 | 91,078.6 |
How many jobs did the Kenyan economy create?
In related news, President William Ruto's administration's attempts to lower the rising rate of youth unemployment were hampered by the slowest job growth the Kenyan economy has seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
According to KNBS, there were about 782,300 new jobs generated last year compared to 848,100 the year before.
Ninety per cent of the jobs created during the year came from the informal sector, as a result of Kenya's corporate challenges in creating suitable prospects for the thousands of graduates.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
