G-P’s Employer of Record (EOR) model allows your company to start hiring talent in minutes via our global entity infrastructure. Unlike a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), G-P allows your company to expand your global footprint without the hassle of entity setup and management.
Our global employment products, including G-P Meridian Prime™ and G-P Meridian Core™, are backed by the largest team of HR and legal experts in the industry. We handle the growing complexities of compliant global expansion — so you can focus on opportunities ahead.
As a global EOR expert, we manage payroll, employment contract best practices, statutory and market norm benefits, employee expenses, as well as severance and termination. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you have a team of dedicated employment experts assisting with every hire. G-P allows you to harness the talent of the brightest people in 180+ countries around the world, quickly and easily.
Hiring in Kenya
When negotiating terms of an employment contract and offer letter with an employee in Kenya, it may be useful to keep the following in mind.
Employment contracts in Kenya
It’s legally required to put a written employment contract in place in Kenya, in the local language, which spells out the terms of the employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. An offer letter and employment contract in Kenya should always state the salary and any compensation amounts in Kenyan shillings rather than another currency.
Fixed-term and indefinite employment contracts are permitted.
Working hours in Kenya
The workweek in Kenya is generally 45 hours. The maximum hours per week is 52 hours for day workers.
Holidays in Kenya
Kenya celebrates 10 national holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Labor Day
- Madaraka Day
- Mashujaa Day
- Jamuhuri (Independence) Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
- Idd–ul-Fitr
Vacation days in Kenya
In general, employees are entitled to 1.75 days of paid annual leave per month worked, or 21 days over the course of 12 months.
Kenya sick leave
After 2 consecutive months of service, employees are entitled to a maximum of 30 days’ sick leave with full pay, and thereafter 15 days’ sick leave with half pay.
Maternity and paternity leave in Kenya
Expecting employees are generally entitled to 3 months of paid maternity leave. Employees must give 7 days’ written notice before going on leave and may be required to present a medical certificate.
Fathers are entitled to 2 weeks (14 days) of paid paternity leave that run consecutively including weekends and public holidays.
Health insurance in Kenya
Kenya has a public/private healthcare system.
Termination/severance in Kenya
Probationary periods of up to 6 months are generally permitted and may be renewed up to 12 months. Employees terminated during the probationary period should be given at least 7 days’ notice.
Employees who are paid on a monthly or longer basis must be given at least 1 months’ notice of termination or paid an equivalent of 1 month’s salary in lieu of notice.
Severance pay is only mandatory in cases of termination for redundancy. In general, employees are paid 15 days’ wages for each completed year of service.
Paying taxes in Kenya
Employers and employees each contribute to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The NSSF contribution has increased from KES 1,080 per month to KES 2,160 per month for both employees and employers, making the total contribution KES 4,320 per month.
In Kenya, wages and certain benefits are subject to pay-as-you-earn (PAYE), which is the income tax. The percentage deducted is based on earnings.
Why G-P?
At G-P, we help companies unlock the power of the everywhere workforce through our industry-leading global employment platform. Let us handle the complex and costly tasks involved in finding, hiring, onboarding, and paying your team members, anywhere in the world, with the speed and guaranteed global compliance your business needs.
Contact us today to learn more.