A person working in Engineering in Kenya typically earns around 124,000 KES per month. Salaries range from 39,300 KES (lowest average) to 262,000 KES (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different Engineering careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Acoustics Engineer | 128,000 KES |
Assembly Engineering Technician | 107,000 KES |
Assistant Chief Engineer | 157,000 KES |
Associate Engineer | 122,000 KES |
Autocad Operator | 86,900 KES |
Automation Engineer | 139,000 KES |
Avionic System Support Engineer | 124,000 KES |
Biochemical Engineer | 124,000 KES |
BMS Engineer | 129,000 KES |
Bridge and Lock Tender | 71,200 KES |
Broadcast Engineer | 130,000 KES |
CAD Design Engineer | 133,000 KES |
CAD Designer | 81,700 KES |
CAE Engineer | 134,000 KES |
Ceramics Engineer | 117,000 KES |
Civil Engineer | 134,000 KES |
Commissioning Engineer | 127,000 KES |
Communications Engineer | 145,000 KES |
Condition Monitoring Engineer | 121,000 KES |
Contract Associate Engineer | 126,000 KES |
Control Systems Engineer | 133,000 KES |
Controls Engineer | 135,000 KES |
Controls Software Engineer | 121,000 KES |
Corrosion Engineer | 127,000 KES |
Design Engineer | 134,000 KES |
Drafter | 85,800 KES |
Drafting Manager | 159,000 KES |
Drilling Engineer | 129,000 KES |
Electrical Draughtsman | 70,900 KES |
Electrical Engineer | 148,000 KES |
Electrical Engineering Manager | 195,000 KES |
Electromechanical Engineering Technologist | 139,000 KES |
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler | 68,400 KES |
Energy Engineer | 142,000 KES |
Engine Assembler | 61,100 KES |
Engineer | 145,000 KES |
Engineering Account Manager | 149,000 KES |
Engineering Chief Designer | 145,000 KES |
Engineering Consultant | 188,000 KES |
Engineering Key Account Manager | 197,000 KES |
Engineering Lab Technician | 124,000 KES |
Engineering Planning Manager | 180,000 KES |
Engineering Production Manager | 250,000 KES |
Engineering Project Analyst | 158,000 KES |
Engineering Project Coordinator | 163,000 KES |
Engineering Project Director | 283,000 KES |
Engineering Project Manager | 188,000 KES |
Engineering Research and Development Manager | 219,000 KES |
Engineering Safety Coordinator | 102,000 KES |
Engineering Sales Manager | 180,000 KES |
Engineering Technician | 104,000 KES |
Engineering Technologist | 103,000 KES |
Environmental Engineer | 136,000 KES |
Equipment Engineer | 128,000 KES |
Equipment Engineering Manager | 169,000 KES |
Estimator | 115,000 KES |
Fabrication Specialist | 91,400 KES |
Fabricator | 59,400 KES |
Facade Engineer | 126,000 KES |
Fiber Analyst | 76,500 KES |
Field Engineer | 135,000 KES |
Field Engineering Manager | 222,000 KES |
Fire Engineer | 131,000 KES |
Fitter and Turner | 42,200 KES |
Forestry Strategic Planner | 153,000 KES |
Generation Engineer | 137,000 KES |
Genetic Engineer | 144,000 KES |
Geological Engineer | 138,000 KES |
Geotechnical Engineer | 141,000 KES |
Heavy Equipment Mechanic | 68,700 KES |
Highway Engineer | 134,000 KES |
HSE Professional | 122,000 KES |
HVAC Engineer | 145,000 KES |
HVAC Supervisor | 121,000 KES |
Industrial Engineer | 132,000 KES |
Industrial Engineering Technologist | 134,000 KES |
Instrument Engineer | 133,000 KES |
Instrumentation and Control Engineer | 136,000 KES |
Instrumentation Engineer | 127,000 KES |
Instrumentation Manager | 139,000 KES |
Irrigation Engineer | 135,000 KES |
Licensed Aircraft Engineer | 143,000 KES |
Locomotive Engineer | 129,000 KES |
Maintenance Engineer | 131,000 KES |
Maintenance Fitter | 47,300 KES |
Maintenance Manager | 140,000 KES |
Manufacturing Engineer | 124,000 KES |
Marine Engineer | 130,000 KES |
Materials Engineer | 129,000 KES |
Materials Researcher | 123,000 KES |
Materials Technician | 94,400 KES |
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer | 137,000 KES |
Mechanical Design Engineer | 148,000 KES |
Mechanical Designer | 121,000 KES |
Mechanical Engineer | 141,000 KES |
Mechanical Engineering Manager | 188,000 KES |
Mechanical Inspector | 129,000 KES |
Mechatronics Engineer | 144,000 KES |
Mining Engineer | 138,000 KES |
Oil and Petrochemical Engineer | 149,000 KES |
Optical Engineer | 130,000 KES |
Optical Instrument Assembler | 68,800 KES |
PCB Assembler | 49,100 KES |
Photonics Engineer | 149,000 KES |
Photonics Technician | 123,000 KES |
Pipeline Engineer | 120,000 KES |
Piping Designer | 72,200 KES |
Piping Engineer | 123,000 KES |
Planning Engineer | 132,000 KES |
Pressure Vessel Inspector | 62,600 KES |
Principal Cost Engineer | 135,000 KES |
Principal Engineer | 136,000 KES |
Principal Support Engineer | 138,000 KES |
Process Engineer | 137,000 KES |
Process Operator | 81,200 KES |
Product Development Engineer | 146,000 KES |
Product Development Technician | 96,500 KES |
Product Engineer | 133,000 KES |
Product Safety Engineer | 124,000 KES |
Production Engineer | 130,000 KES |
Project Engineer | 137,000 KES |
Proposal Manager | 166,000 KES |
Purchasing Engineer | 129,000 KES |
Quality Assurance Engineer | 130,000 KES |
Rail Engineer | 133,000 KES |
Robotics Engineer | 149,000 KES |
Robotics Technician | 109,000 KES |
Safety Engineer | 134,000 KES |
Safety Inspector | 102,000 KES |
Safety Manager | 153,000 KES |
Safety Officer | 70,500 KES |
Sales Engineer | 144,000 KES |
Scheduling Engineer | 124,000 KES |
Service Engineer | 146,000 KES |
Solar Engineer | 146,000 KES |
Staff Engineer | 128,000 KES |
Static Equipment Engineer | 129,000 KES |
Stationary Engineer | 117,000 KES |
Stress Engineer | 127,000 KES |
Structural Analysis Engineer | 136,000 KES |
Structural Designer | 118,000 KES |
Structural Engineer | 137,000 KES |
Structural Technician | 82,300 KES |
Supply Chain Specialist | 127,000 KES |
Surveyor | 104,000 KES |
Technical Affairs Officer | 68,300 KES |
Technical Assistant | 70,500 KES |
Technical Engineer | 115,000 KES |
Technical Support Engineer | 121,000 KES |
Tender Engineer | 120,000 KES |
Test Development Engineer | 133,000 KES |
Transportation Engineer | 128,000 KES |
Validation Engineer | 121,000 KES |
Verification Engineer | 131,000 KES |
Wastewater Engineer | 132,000 KES |
Wind Energy Engineer | 134,000 KES |
Wind Energy Operations Manager | 177,000 KES |
Work Planner | 96,200 KES |
Engineering salaries in Kenya range from 39,300 KES per month (minimum average salary) to 262,000 KES per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher).
The median salary is 119,000 KES per month, which means that half (50%) of people working in Engineering are earning less than 119,000 KES while the other half are earning more than 119,000 KES. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of people working in Engineering are earning less than 71,200 KES while 75% of them are earning more than 71,200 KES. Also from the diagram, 75% of people working in Engineering are earning less than 183,000 KES while 25% are earning more than 183,000 KES.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.
Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.
Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.
Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.
Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Kenya costs anywhere from 734,000 Kenyan Shilling(s) to 2,200,000 Kenyan Shilling(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support this tactic. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
The decision really depends on your situation and experience among many other factors. Putting all variables aside, if you can afford the costs of higher education then the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in Kenya who work in Engineering earn 10% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 131,000 KES | |
Female | -9% | 119,000 KES |
Engineering professionals in Kenya are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 5% every 28 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 4% granted to employees every 29 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 3% | |
Energy | 6% | |
Information Technology | 9% | |
Healthcare | 3% | |
Travel | 6% | |
Construction | 9% | |
Education | 3% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Kenya for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Engineering is considered to be a moderate bonus-based field due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
67% of surveyed staff in Engineering reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 33% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 5% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 33% | |
No Bonus | 67% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Engineering is 16% less than that of All Jobs.
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Kenya earn 14% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 140,000 KES | |
Public Sector | +14% | 159,000 KES |