NAIROBI, KENYA: New figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show that only a small share of working-age Kenyans can count on regular pay.
The Statistical Abstract 2018 puts the number of people in wage employment at 2.6 million. That means they receive payment on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for the work they do.
Using the 2016 labour force estimate of 19.3 million people aged between 15 and 64 who were actively seeking work, the data suggests that many Kenyans remain in informal or low-paying work, including jua kali jobs where income is not guaranteed.
The same report also undercuts the idea of a broad middle-income consumer base. It says only 76,804 Kenyans took home more than Sh100,000 a month, up from 74,293 in 2006.
Most people in wage employment were in the private sector, which accounted for 1,866,389 workers. The public sector employed 790,164, adding pressure to the government wage bill.
The findings come as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda places job creation at the centre of his legacy plans, with manufacturing expected to drive new employment.
