Mid-2026 salary benchmarks across the most-hired roles in Kenya, in KES — from junior engineers in Nairobi to country managers in Mombasa.
Pay transparency in Kenya has accelerated dramatically. Candidates now arrive at first calls with a tighter sense of their market value than ever before, and recruiters who lowball lose offers. This guide gives you mid-2026 median monthly gross salary ranges, in Kenyan Shillings, for the roles Zaajira sees hired most often.
A note on methodology. Ranges below reflect anonymized aggregate data from offers extended on Zaajira between January and May 2026, cross-referenced with public salary surveys from BrighterMonday, Corporate Staffing Services, and the KNBS quarterly labour report. Treat them as a calibration aid, not a contract.
Software & Engineering (Nairobi, hybrid baseline)
| Role | Junior (0–2 yrs) | Mid (3–5 yrs) | Senior (6+ yrs) |
|---|
| Frontend Engineer | 90k – 150k | 180k – 280k | 320k – 480k |
| Backend Engineer | 100k – 160k | 200k – 320k | 350k – 550k |
| Full-Stack Engineer | 95k – 155k | 190k – 300k | 340k – 520k |
| Mobile (iOS/Android) | 110k – 170k | 220k – 340k | 380k – 580k |
| DevOps / SRE | 130k – 200k | 260k – 400k | 450k – 700k |
| Data Engineer | 120k – 190k | 240k – 380k | 420k – 650k |
| ML Engineer | 150k – 230k | 300k – 480k | 550k – 850k |
| Engineering Manager | — | 350k – 520k | 600k – 1,000k |
Multinationals and remote-first companies paying in USD typically run 30–60% above these bands.
Product, Design & Data
| Role | Mid | Senior |
|---|
| Product Manager | 220k – 380k | 450k – 750k |
| Product Designer | 180k – 300k | 350k – 550k |
| Data Analyst | 120k – 200k | 240k – 380k |
| Data Scientist | 200k – 320k | 380k – 600k |
Finance & Accounting
| Role | Mid | Senior |
|---|
| Accountant (CPA-K) | 80k – 140k | 180k – 300k |
| Financial Analyst | 130k – 220k | 280k – 450k |
| Finance Manager | — | 350k – 600k |
| CFO (SME / scale-up) | — | 700k – 1,500k |
Sales, Marketing & CX
| Role | Mid | Senior |
|---|
| Account Executive (B2B SaaS) | 150k base + variable | 300k base + variable |
| Sales Manager | 250k – 400k | 450k – 750k |
| Digital Marketer | 100k – 180k | 220k – 380k |
| Marketing Manager | — | 350k – 600k |
| Customer Success Manager | 120k – 200k | 250k – 400k |
Operations, HR & Admin
| Role | Mid | Senior |
|---|
| Operations Associate | 70k – 120k | 150k – 240k |
| HR Business Partner | 150k – 250k | 300k – 500k |
| Talent Acquisition Lead | 180k – 300k | 380k – 600k |
| Office Manager | 70k – 130k | 160k – 260k |
Regional adjustments
- Mombasa & Coast: subtract 10–15% for non-tech roles; tech roles trend with Nairobi.
- Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru: subtract 15–25%.
- Fully remote roles paid in USD/EUR: add 30–80%.
Beyond base salary
Total compensation in Kenya now routinely includes private medical cover (typically KES 200k–1M annual cap depending on level), 21–25 days of paid leave, mobile and internet allowance, and — at senior tech levels — equity or phantom equity grants. When candidates compare offers they look at total package, not headline base.
Key takeaways
- Pay bands in Nairobi tech have risen ~12% YoY, faster than headline inflation.
- Remote-first USD-paying employers are pulling senior talent out of the local market.
- Publish a band in the job ad — Zaajira data shows ads with bands attract 2.3x more qualified applicants.
For role-specific benchmarks not listed here, contact Zaajira for a custom report.
