Kenya, 2026
Most Nairobi households do not, because the rules changed on 1 May 2026 and nobody sent them a letter. This page is the short version, and the compliance pack is free.
The rate
The Regulation of Wages (General) (Amendment) Order 2026 raised domestic worker minimums by 12% and backdated it to 1 May 2026. It covers house helps, nannies, gardeners, watchmen, messengers and sweepers.
| Where the job is | Minimum per month | Previous rate |
|---|---|---|
| Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret | KES 18,047 | KES 16,113 |
| Former municipalities and other large urban centres | KES 16,650 | KES 14,866 |
| Smaller towns and rural areas | KES 9,268 | KES 8,275 |
Paying below the prescribed minimum is an offence carrying a fine of up to KES 50,000, imprisonment for up to three months, or both.
The floor applies to staff you employed years ago. If your house help has been on KES 12,000 since 2023, that is now an underpayment — and it was backdated to May.
A 15% housing allowance for live-out staff, plus NSSF and SHIF contributions. Owning a washing machine does not reduce the obligation.
Source: Regulation of Wages (General) (Amendment) Order, 2026, gazetted 29 May 2026 and deemed effective 1 May 2026. This page is general information about published law, not legal advice. If a specific situation is in dispute, take advice from a Kenyan employment lawyer.
Free
One page each, written for a household rather than an HR department. Ask for it on WhatsApp and we will send it — you do not have to be a client.
Optional
A monthly retainer of KES 2,500 per household, covering all your staff — not only the ones we placed.
Questions
Accommodation and food are why live-in staff are paid at the base rate while live-out staff additionally receive a 15% housing allowance. They do not reduce the cash wage below the statutory floor. The minimum is a floor, not a target you can offset against.
Part-time work is pro-rated, but the pro-rating must be honest: the daily or hourly equivalent cannot fall below the monthly floor divided by the normal working period. A common mistake is to call someone part-time while expecting full-time hours.
You have three honest ones: reduce the hours and pay properly for the hours worked; move from a live-in arrangement to set days a week; or reduce the scope of the job. What is not an option is keeping the same hours at the old rate. Newspapers reported many Nairobi families reacting to the new order by cutting staff — that is legal, underpaying is not.
Yes. A household employing even one domestic worker is an employer for these purposes. It is a short registration and then a monthly remittance. The compliance pack sets out the steps.
Every Frimak placement comes on a compliant written contract as standard, with the salary set at or above the legal floor.