Outsourcing to Kenya: costs, profiles and cities (2026)

Page updated on 22 October 2026. Public data checked; sources at the end of the page.

Outsourcing to Kenya draws on English measured at 593 points (19th out of 123 countries, EF 2025). The UTC+3 time zone leaves 6 shared office hours with London in winter. The country has about 36,000 employees in global business services, including business process outsourcing (BPO), according to a 2025 estimate by the public agency Invest Kenya.

Set against that, modelled unemployment of 5.4% (2025) sits alongside 83.8% informal employment (2025). The law on the provision of staff is still evolving. This page sets out costs, cities, time zone, languages, law and practical information, with sources.

Kenya at a glance: key figures

Why outsource to Kenya?

According to Invest Kenya (March 2026), BPO revenue is estimated at USD 270 million in 2025. It cites 5,000 jobs for CCI Global (Tatu City) and 2,500 for Teleperformance. Kearney ranks Kenya 41st out of 78 countries in 2023, 4th in Africa (Le360 Afrique; the 2025 edition was not found).

The ICT Ministry stated that BPO created 19,650 jobs in 2025 (Capital FM via AllAfrica). Invest Kenya, for its part, counts about 36,000 employees in global business services. Jobs created and total headcount cannot be compared: the order of magnitude is a few tens of thousands of jobs.

The Cabinet approved a national BPO policy on 30 June 2026; its text was not found. Job targets, such as the one million digital jobs announced by the President on 10 May 2024, remain ambitions.

The job market in Kenya

No recent national survey unemployment rate was found: the KNBS 2026 integrated survey is under way. The figures available are modelled ILO estimates: 5.4% unemployment in 2025, 15.2% among 15-24-year-olds, 7.7% among higher-education graduates (2022). On informal employment, the KNBS (Economic Survey 2026) gives 83.8% of total employment excluding small-scale agriculture in 2025. It also accounts for 87.2% of the 822,100 jobs created that year.

Invest Kenya reports more than 10,000 IT graduates a year. It reports staff turnover of 15 to 20% in contact centres, which it describes as low (scope not specified).

How much does an employee cost in Kenya?

Legal minimum wage

The 2026 Regulation of Wages Order (Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 128, 29 May 2026) is deemed to have been in force since 1 May 2026 (text at Grant Thornton Kenya). The Kenyan press reports a 12% increase. In Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret, the general labourer has a minimum of KSh 18,047.40 a month, or about €124 (€1 = 145.82 KSh, Central Bank of Kenya, 21 October 2026). This minimum excludes the housing allowance, an extra 15% if the employer does not house the employee.

Other areas have lower minimums for the general labourer: KSh 16,650.95 (€114) in Mavoko, Ruiru and Limuru, and KSh 9,268.07 (€64) elsewhere. No call-centre-specific minimum was found. The schedule sets KSh 27,796.51 (€191) for the "switchboard operator" category in Nairobi, but nothing establishes that it applies to call centre agents.

Employer contributions

According to Deel via PaySpace (February 2026), the employer's NSSF pension contribution is 6% of pay, capped at KSh 6,480 (€44) a month. On top come 1.5% of gross salary for affordable housing and KSh 50 per employee per month for training. The employer's share of social health insurance was not found: no overall rate is calculated.

Market salaries

No recruitment consultancy guide covers Kenya: the figures come from self-reported sources (Paylab, 24 to 46 respondents, undated; HelloDuty, a software vendor). Gross monthly salaries, except the call centre agent (gross or net not specified).

Across all levels, Paylab gives KSh 51,626-299,483 (€354-2,054) for a developer and KSh 38,304-91,835 (€263-630) for an accountant. IT support ranges from KSh 30,171 to 92,837 (€207-637). For the call centre agent, the senior salary is 2.1 to 2.5 times that of a beginner.

By comparison, the French legal minimum wage (SMIC) is €1,867.02 gross a month in 2026. In the United Kingdom, a beginner customer service assistant earns about €1,988 gross a month (National Careers Service). These are orders of magnitude, as sources and bases differ.

And with MaaSil?

A market salary is not the total cost of a service. MaaSil publishes a single price list, with no distinction by country (see the pricing). It states €55 to €100 excl. VAT per day for general profiles (about €1,150 excl. VAT a month). For senior IT developers, it states €120 to €250 excl. VAT per day (about €2,600 excl. VAT a month).

Which cities should you choose for outsourcing to Kenya?

The minimum wage is the same in five cities (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret) and no difference in market salaries was found. The outsourcing offer is concentrated in Nairobi and its surrounding area. Populations: 2019 census, by county.

Nairobi

4,397,073 inhabitants. According to Invest Kenya, TRIFIC (where Teleperformance is setting up) and Tatu City (CCI's site) are special economic zones. Invest Kenya places Tatu City in Nairobi, the Office of the President of Kenya in Kiambu County.

Mombasa

1,208,333 inhabitants. The Dongo Kundu special economic zone is under construction near the port (Invest Kenya). No BPO provider named.

Kisumu

Population not found. No BPO provider named.

Nakuru

2,162,202 inhabitants. No BPO zone named.

Eldoret

Population not found. Neither BPO zone nor provider named.

What is the time difference with Europe?

Kenya is 3 hours ahead of London in winter and 2 hours ahead in summer, as it stays on UTC+3 all year.

The calculation assumes office hours of 9am to 6pm on both sides. Europe goes back to winter time on 25 October 2026: the gap with London then goes from +2 h to +3 h. No seasonal particularity (Ramadan, etc.) was found.

Languages and skills available

English and Kiswahili are the official languages (Constitution of 2010, Article 7). In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 ranking, Kenya scores 593 points, 19th out of 123 countries. This ranking is based on online tests taken voluntarily: it describes the people who took the test, not the whole population. No public statistics on French, German, Spanish or Italian were found.

Infrastructure: internet, electricity, technology parks

The median speed is 16.48 Mbit/s fixed and 48.78 Mbit/s mobile (Ookla, March 2026). 77.0% of the population has access to electricity (World Bank, 2024). A general outage hit Nairobi, the coast and the Mount Kenya region on 29 July 2026; Kenya Power has not published the cause (Africanews). Invest Kenya lists 44 special economic zones and 105 export processing zones.

Data protection and employment law

Personal data

The Data Protection Act has been in force since 25 November 2019; the supervisory authority is the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC). The European Commission has adopted no adequacy decision for Kenya: transfers from the European Union rely on standard contractual clauses. The "GDPR alignment" promoted by Invest Kenya is a sales argument with no legal value.

Employment law and provision of staff

According to the Employment Act (consolidated 2024 version) and the general wages order, the normal working week is at most 52 hours over six days. Paid leave is 21 working days and the probation period is 6 months at most. The notice period is 28 days for a monthly salary, unless a longer clause applies.

The Employment Act contains no regime for "labour contractors" (subcontractors of labour). In a decision of 28 November 2024 ([2024] KEELRC 13258), the Employment and Labour Relations Court holds that the employer is the entity that supplies the staff, not the one that uses them.

The Business Laws (Amendment) Bill of 2024 (Senate Bill No. 51) would insert a section 5A into the Employment Act. A BPO company would answer for any claim by its employees, and could not say that it is not the beneficiary of their services.

According to a single outlet (BusinessDay, 25 September 2026), the National Assembly passed this bill on 19 August 2026; it awaits presidential assent. The adopted text was not seen. Local legal advice is recommended before setting up any arrangement.

Practical information: currency, public holidays, flights and visas

The shilling was worth 145.82 to €1 on 21 October 2026. The Public Holidays Act sets 11 public holidays.

Direct flights link Paris and Nairobi in about 8 h 40 (Rome2rio). A French citizen needs an electronic travel authorisation (eTA). Since 5 October 2026, most visitors staying less than twelve months must take out Kenyan travel health insurance, with the eTA or on the eCitizen portal. Foreign insurance is not accepted (FCDO, the British Foreign Office).

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case (Bundibugyo strain) on 6 October 2026. The WHO counted three confirmed cases as of 16 October, and the press reports eight as of 18 October (Citizen Digital). The health directorate judges the risk of community transmission to be very low. France Diplomatie (21 October) and the FCDO (16 October) have updated their alerts.

The general election takes place on 10 August 2027, with a pre-election period already under way (France Diplomatie).

Kenya compared with other African destinations

Conversions at the Eurostat 2025 average rate (hence €123 here).

• South Africa: ILO-modelled unemployment of 32.4%, a similar English score (602) and a median fixed speed of 48.90 Mbit/s.
• Egypt: much lower English (458), a similar monthly minimum (≈ €126) and a median fixed speed of 92.50 Mbit/s.
• Mauritius: higher monthly minimum (≈ €341, different time bases), +3 h with Paris in winter and 1.24 million inhabitants.

How MaaSil recruits in Kenya

MaaSil states that it recruits in Kenya remotely and relies on a business manager based in the country. According to MaaSil, the selection is the same as for its consultants in Madagascar (see Why us), in four stages:

1. pre-selection (MaaSil states that it presents the "top 1%" of the CVs received);
2. two interviews;
3. technical tests;
4. presentation of the candidate to the client.

MaaSil announces about one month to recruit and about four weeks for full autonomy. It states that its consultants are 100% integrated into the client's teams, which direct the assignments day to day. It also states that it handles recruitment, payroll, HR follow-up and coordination. The premises, internet and power backups and GDPR framework that MaaSil advertises concern Madagascar, not Kenya.

For a specific need, contact us.

Which jobs can you outsource to Kenya?

• Customer service: the core of the Kenyan sector. See customer service officer and the article on call centre outsourcing.
• Development: more than 10,000 IT graduates a year according to Invest Kenya. See full stack developer.
• Accounting: KSh 74,256 (€509) after 5 years. See accountant.
• IT support: KSh 68,883 (€472) after 5 years. See IT support technician.
• Administrative assistant: no salary data found. See administrative assistant.

FAQ: outsourcing to Kenya

Sources and methodology

This page was written by MaaSil Inc, an outsourcing company, from public data consulted on 22 October 2026 (statistical institutes, international organisations, salary guides). Figures change; found a mistake? Write to us via our contact page.

• KNBS, Economic Survey 2026
• World Bank, Kenya data
• Kenya Law, Employment Act
• Kenya Law, 2024 judgment
• European Commission, adequacy
• France Diplomatie, Kenya
• FCDO, entry into Kenya
• BusinessDay, 25 September 2026