This archive report was first published on 23 December 2021.
Kenya's high-income earners have seen a decline in numbers, with data from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics showing that only 79,909 individuals earned above Sh. 100,000 in 2020. This marks a drop of 4,861 earners compared to a rise of 2,234 in the previous year, the first decline in several years.
Those earning above Sh. 100,000 accounted for a mere 2.9 percent of the 2.7 million formal workers captured in the Kenya Revenue Authority's database. The taxman has questioned the accuracy of this figure, suggesting that a larger share of high-income earners exist, whose lifestyles do not align with their declared income or taxes paid.
Interestingly, the data reveals a significant gap between men and women in the high-income bracket. In 2019, about 63.4 percent of men, or 50,749, earned above Sh. 100,000, compared to 29,233 women, a difference of 21,516. This disparity is also reflected in other income bands.
Notably, three-quarters of Kenyans earn a monthly salary of below Sh. 50,000. The largest group of employees, with an income band ranging from Sh. 30,000 to Sh. 49,999, has expanded significantly over the past five years, adding 113,615 individuals to the workforce.
