New data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that only a small share of working-age Kenyans can count on regular pay.
The Statistical Abstract 2018 says 2.6 million people were in wage employment, meaning they received payment on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for their work.
That figure sits against a labour force of 19.3 million people in 2016, aged between 15 and 64 and actively seeking work. The numbers point to a large segment of Kenyans earning their living outside formal salaried jobs, including in the jua kali sector where income is often uncertain.
The report also highlights how few workers are in the highest pay bracket. 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, where KNBS put the number at 1,866,389. Another 790,164 were on the public payroll, adding pressure to the government wage bill.
The findings cut against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda, which placed job creation at the centre of his economic plan. His administration had said manufacturing would be one of the main channels for creating more jobs.
