Minimum Wage Checker Kenya 2026

Is this pay above the legal minimum wage?

Wage order

Everyone except agricultural workers, including domestic workers.

Find an occupation

Occupation

Artisan grades need a government trade test certificate. Without one, use ungraded artisan.

Area

Or type the town

Paid

Pay is shown as

Basic pay

KES

Housing allowance

KES

Employer provides free housing

Then no 15% housing allowance is due. A deduction for housing can't take pay below the minimum.

Pay month and arrears

Pay month

Months before May 2026 use the 2024 orders. Months before November 2024 aren't supported.

Count months since the order started (6)

Minimum wage check

LN 108 of 2026 · per month

Occupation

General labourer (incl. cleaner, sweeper, gardener, children's ayah, house servant, day watchman, messenger)

Cities

Legal minimum

Basic minimum wage18,047.40

Housing allowance15%2,707.11

Minimum total20,754.51

This employee

Basic pay0.00

Housing allowance0.00

Pay0.00

Basic below minimum−18,047.40

Total below minimum−20,754.51

Minimum payKES 20,754.51

per month, effective 1 May 2026

Regulation of Wages (General) (Amendment) Order 2026, LN 108/2026 of 26 June 2026, effective 1 May 2026.

Enter the employee's pay to check it against the minimum.

Overtime hourly rate must be at least KES 80.21 (1/225 of the basic minimum), before the 1.5× or 2× multiplier.

Compare with the 2024 order

Full wage table: cities

Occupation	Month (basic)	Day	Hour
1. General labourer (incl. cleaner, sweeper, gardener, children's ayah, house servant, day watchman, messenger)	18,047.40	868.44	161.34
2. Miner, stone cutter, turnboy, waiter, cook, logger, line cutter	19,491.33	936.88	175.46
3. Night watchman	20,133.72	966.02	181.64
4. Machine attendant, sawmill sawyer, machine assistant, mass production machinist, shoe cutter, bakery worker, bakery assistant, tailor's assistant	20,454.86	982.70	188.47
5. Machinist (made to measure), shoe upper preparer, chaplis maker, vehicle service worker (petrol and service stations), bakery plant hand, laundry operator, junior clerk, wheel tractor driver (light)	23,350.21	1,125.23	209.54
6. Printing machine operator, bakery machine operator, plywood machine operator, sawmill dresser, shop assistant, machine tool operator, dough maker, table hand baker or confectioner, copy typist, driver (cars and light vans)	24,358.73	1,170.46	219.28
7. Pattern designer (draughtsman), garment and dress cutter, single hand oven man, charge-hand baker, general clerk, telephone operator, receptionist, storekeeper	27,796.51	1,336.43	250.38
8. Tailor, driver (medium sized vehicle)	30,634.69	1,474.32	272.70
9. Dyer, crawler tractor driver, salesman	33,820.24	1,621.95	303.92
10. Saw doctor, caretaker (buildings)	37,426.84	1,802.29	336.69
11. Cashier, driver (heavy commercial vehicles), salesman driver	40,724.23	1,960.60	366.96
12. Ungraded artisan	24,358.79	1,171.35	219.28
13. Artisan Grade III	30,634.74	1,474.32	272.64
14. Artisan Grade II	33,087.44	1,592.27	303.92
15. Artisan Grade I	40,724.23	1,960.60	366.96

How it's worked out

Pick the wage order. Farm workers fall under the Agricultural Order. Everyone else, including domestic workers, falls under the General Order.
Find the occupation and area. The General Order has three pay areas: the five cities, former municipalities (plus Mavoko, Ruiru and Limuru), and all other areas.
Monthly pay: the basic minimum excludes housing. Unless you give free housing, add a housing allowance of 15% of the basic minimum. Basic pay must reach the basic minimum and total pay must reach basic plus 15%.
Daily and hourly pay: compare with the daily or hourly rate directly. It already includes housing.
Shortfall and arrears: the gap per month times the months underpaid since 1 May 2026.
Overtime floor: the hourly rate for overtime is at least 1/225 of the basic minimum monthly wage.

General Order 2026: monthly basic minimum (KES)

Occupation	Cities	Former municipalities	Other areas
1. General labourer (incl. cleaner, sweeper, gardener, children's ayah, house servant, day watchman, messenger)	18,047.40	16,650.95	9,628.07
2. Miner, stone cutter, turnboy, waiter, cook, logger, line cutter	19,491.33	17,046.83	11,124.42
3. Night watchman	20,133.72	18,665.88	11,483.43
4. Machine attendant, sawmill sawyer, machine assistant, mass production machinist, shoe cutter, bakery worker, bakery assistant, tailor's assistant	20,454.86	19,034.56	15,427.97
5. Machinist (made to measure), shoe upper preparer, chaplis maker, vehicle service worker (petrol and service stations), bakery plant hand, laundry operator, junior clerk, wheel tractor driver (light)	23,350.21	21,844.12	17,859.17
6. Printing machine operator, bakery machine operator, plywood machine operator, sawmill dresser, shop assistant, machine tool operator, dough maker, table hand baker or confectioner, copy typist, driver (cars and light vans)	24,358.73	22,481.83	18,582.41
7. Pattern designer (draughtsman), garment and dress cutter, single hand oven man, charge-hand baker, general clerk, telephone operator, receptionist, storekeeper	27,796.51	25,412.61	21,668.18
8. Tailor, driver (medium sized vehicle)	30,634.69	28,155.87	25,105.72
9. Dyer, crawler tractor driver, salesman	33,820.24	31,555.31	28,479.38
10. Saw doctor, caretaker (buildings)	37,426.84	34,947.96	32,556.94
11. Cashier, driver (heavy commercial vehicles), salesman driver	40,724.23	38,323.71	35,932.75
12. Ungraded artisan	24,358.79	22,481.83	18,582.77
13. Artisan Grade III	30,634.74	28,155.87	25,058.23
14. Artisan Grade II	33,087.44	31,555.31	28,479.38
15. Artisan Grade I	40,724.23	38,323.71	35,932.86

Agricultural Order 2026 (KES, housing included)

Occupation	Per month	Per day
Unskilled employee	9,196.93	386.24
Stockman, herdsman, watchman	10,621.15	449.81
House servant or cook	10,498.82	399.77
Farm foreman	16,591.20	701.11
Farm clerk	16,591.20	701.11
Senior foreman (as gazetted)	10,740.61	456.70
Farm artisan	10,992.45	467.36
Tractor driver	11,656.75	495.10
Combine harvester driver	12,841.61	544.89
Lorry driver or car driver	13,476.47	571.22

Figures are from LN 108 and LN 109 of 26 June 2026, which re-made LN 95 and LN 96 to fix misprints. They are shown as gazetted, including Artisan Grade II in the cities, which is below row 9.

Questions people ask

What is the minimum wage in Nairobi in 2026?

For a general labourer (cleaner, gardener, house help, messenger) in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret it is KES 18,047.40 a month in basic pay, plus a 15% housing allowance (KES 2,707.11) if you don't provide housing. That makes KES 20,754.51 a month, effective 1 May 2026.

Is the 2026 increase back-dated?

Yes. The Orders were gazetted on 29 May 2026 and corrected on 26 June 2026 (LN 108 and 109), but both are deemed to have come into operation on 1 May 2026. Staff paid below the new rates since May are owed arrears.

Do the daily and hourly rates include housing allowance?

Yes. The Order states that daily and hourly rates are inclusive of housing allowance. Only the monthly figures exclude it. Agricultural rates are consolidated, so housing is already included.

Which towns count as former municipalities?

Towns that had municipal councils before 2013 (for example Thika, Machakos, Nyeri, Kitale, Kakamega, Kericho, Malindi and Naivasha), plus Mavoko (Athi River), Ruiru and Limuru. The five cities form the top band. Everywhere else is all other areas.

What is the minimum wage in rural areas in 2026?

For a general labourer outside the cities and former municipalities it is KES 9,628.07 a month plus 15% housing allowance. Some websites still show 9,268.07, a misprint in LN 95 that LN 108 corrected. The agricultural minimum for an unskilled farm worker is KES 9,196.93 a month, housing included.

Sources

Rates last checked 13 Sep 2026. Estimates only, not tax or legal advice.