Domestic workers in Kenya will take home more money each month after the Ministry of Labour gazetted new minimum wage rates, raising pay across all categories by 12 per cent with immediate effect.
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua issued the revised rates through a legal notice, acting on President William Ruto’s directive at this year’s Labour Day celebrations in Vihiga County on 1 May 2026.
What the new rates mean
Workers employed in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret now earn a minimum monthly salary of Ksh18,047, up from Ksh16,113 under the 2024 wage order. Those working in former municipalities and large urban centres such as Mavoko, Ruiru and Limuru earn at least Ksh16,650 a month.
Workers in smaller towns and rural areas receive a minimum of Ksh9,268 per month under the new order.
The wage adjustments cover gardeners, house helps, watchmen, messengers and sweepers in addition to household cleaners and children’s ayahs.
Employers face prosecution for non-compliance
The Ministry warned employers to comply without delay. Those who pay below the prescribed minimum risk a fine of up to Ksh50,000, a prison term of up to three months, or both.
Why Ruto ordered the increase
Speaking at Labour Day in Vihiga, President Ruto said his administration had approved the pay rise following consultations with workers through the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU).
“I am pleased to announce a 12 per cent increase in general wages and a 15 per cent increase in agricultural wages to all Kenyan workers,” he said.
Ruto framed the increase as a direct response to the rising cost of living. Beyond the wage review, he directed the Ministry of Labour to activate wage councils established under the Labour Relations Act, 2007 — bodies designed to set and monitor pay standards across sectors.
Who domestic workers are
Domestic work is one of the largest categories of informal employment globally. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) counts at least 67 million domestic workers worldwide, a figure that rises each year in both developed and developing countries. Women make up 80 per cent of the workforce in this sector.
Their duties span cooking, cleaning, childcare, eldercare, gardening, driving and security. A domestic worker may live at the employer’s home or commute daily, work full or part time, serve one household or several, and in some cases cross national borders — becoming a migrant domestic worker.
Despite their numbers, domestic workers remain among the most exposed groups in the global labour market. Many earn very low wages, work without a guaranteed weekly rest day and face risks of physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Because they work inside private homes, they fall outside the scope of labour legislation in many countries — a gap that reflects broader discrimination along lines of gender, race and caste.
Kenya and the ILO conventions
Kenya is currently considering ratification of two ILO instruments that directly affect domestic workers.
ILO Convention 189 on Domestic Workers establishes the right to fair wages, reasonable working hours, clear employment contracts, social protection and freedom from abuse. It affirms that domestic workers deserve the same dignity and legal protections as workers in any other sector.
ILO Convention 190 sets global standards to prevent and address violence and harassment across all workplaces.
Ratifying both instruments would strengthen the legal foundations that protect domestic workers in Kenya — and signal to workers and employers alike that household employment carries the same obligations as any formal job.
The 2024 baseline
The new rates build on the Regulation of Wages (General) (Amendment) Order 2024, which came into force in November 2024 and established the previous minimum wage structure.
Under that order, a live-in domestic worker — including house servants, children’s ayahs, cleaners and gardeners — earned at least Ksh16,113.75 per month as the basic monthly wage. Because employers typically provide accommodation and meals, no housing allowance applied to live-in arrangements.
Live-out domestic workers earned the same base salary, but employers were also required to pay a 15 per cent housing allowance, bringing total monthly compensation to approximately Ksh18,531.
The 2026 increase builds on those figures and signals a broader government commitment to raising the floor for Kenya’s lowest-paid workers — a commitment that enforcement will ultimately determine.
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