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Journalist Average Salary in Kenya 2024

How much money does a person working as Journalist make in Kenya?


Average Monthly Salary
177,000 KES
( 2,130,000 KES yearly)

LOW
86,800
KES
AVERAGE
177,000
KES
HIGH
276,000
KES
All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Journalist in Kenya typically earns around 177,000 KES. Salaries range from 86,800 KES (lowest) to 276,000 KES (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Journalist salaries in Kenya vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Journalist Pay Scale and Salaries in Kenya

Median and salary distribution Kenya Journalist monthly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
164,000 KES or more
10% of people earn
145,000 to 164,000 KES
20% of people earn
103,000 KES or less
65% of people earn
103,000 to 145,000 KES
Minimum Salary
86,800 KES
Median
165,000 KES
Maximum
276,000 KES




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Journalist in Kenya range from 86,800 KES (starting salary) to 276,000 KES (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 165,000 KES, half of the professionals who work as Journalist in Kenya earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Journalist in Kenya earn less than 135,000 KES, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 189,000 KES while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Journalist in Kenya compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 103,000 KES to 145,000 KES. About 20% of salaries are below the 103,000 KES mark, while 10% fall within the range of 145,000 KES to 164,000 KES. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 164,000 KES.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Journalist / Kenya

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
103,000 KES
2 - 5 Years+29%
132,000 KES
5 - 10 Years+38%
183,000 KES
10 - 15 Years+24%
226,000 KES
15 - 20 Years+7%
242,000 KES
20+ Years+7%
258,000 KES
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience monthly Kenya Journalist
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Journalist and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 103,000 KES.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 132,000 KES, 29% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 183,000 KES, 38% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 226,000 KES, 24% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 242,000 KES, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 258,000 KES, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Journalist / Kenya

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Journalist.

High School
129,000 KES
Certificate or Diploma+15%
147,000 KES
Bachelor's Degree+35%
199,000 KES
Master's Degree+26%
250,000 KES
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level monthly Kenya Journalist
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Journalist in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: High School

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 129,000 KES.


Level 2: Certificate or Diploma

At this level, the average salary becomes 147,000 KES, 15% more than the previous level.


Level 3: Bachelor's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 199,000 KES, 35% more than the previous level.


Level 4: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 250,000 KES, 26% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Kenya costs anywhere from 737,000 KES to 2,210,000 KES 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 to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.

If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Journalist / Kenya

Salary comparison by gender Kenya Journalist monthly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Journalist in Kenya, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 10%.

Male
184,000 KES
Female-9%
167,000 KES
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in Kenya for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender monthly Kenya
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Journalist / Kenya

How much are annual salary increments in Kenya for individuals working as Journalist? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Journalist in Kenya are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 8% every 29 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 4% granted to employees every 29 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate Kenya Journalist
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

Kenya / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate Kenya
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare 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.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

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

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in Kenya is 2%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Journalist / Kenya

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate Kenya Journalist
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61% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 39% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
39%
No Bonus
61%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, 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 Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

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.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting 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:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


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.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

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.

Average Hourly Wage / Journalist / Kenya


1,020 KES per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Journalist in Kenya is 1,020 KES.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

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 fixed 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.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Journalist in Kenya is 500 KES. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment-100%
3D Artist138,000 KES-22%
3D Designer134,000 KES-24%
3D Generalist119,000 KES-33%
3D Visualization Specialist132,000 KES-26%
Acrobatic Rigger91,900 KES-48%
Actor186,000 KES+5%
Art Administrator149,000 KES-16%
Art Director186,000 KES+5%
Art Lead175,000 KES-1%
Artificial Intelligence Generated Art Creator123,000 KES-31%
Associate Media Director147,000 KES-17%
Associate Producer199,000 KES+12%
Broadcast and Sound Engineer119,000 KES-33%
Broadcast Associate100,000 KES-44%
Broadcast News Analyst143,000 KES-19%
Broadcast Technician87,900 KES-50%
Broadcasting Journalist172,000 KES-3%
Broadcasting Presenter180,000 KES+2%
Camera Equipment Repairer96,700 KES-45%
Camera Operator85,700 KES-52%
Cartoonist / Animator125,000 KES-29%
CAS Engineer143,000 KES-19%
Censorship Executive163,000 KES-8%
Chief Social Media Officer231,000 KES+30%
Choreographer123,000 KES-31%
Colorist71,300 KES-60%
Communications Manager201,000 KES+13%
Content Moderator121,000 KES-32%
Correspondent160,000 KES-10%
Dance Director143,000 KES-19%
Dancer128,000 KES-28%
Digital Content Manager203,000 KES+15%
Digital Music Promoter165,000 KES-7%
Director of Photography150,000 KES-15%
Disc Jockey88,000 KES-50%
Drone Cinematographer143,000 KES-19%
Editorial Assistant74,500 KES-58%
Events Manager137,000 KES-23%
Graphic Designer97,300 KES-45%
Illustrator106,000 KES-40%
Industrial Designer92,100 KES-48%
Influencer Marketing Manager180,000 KES+2%
Influencer Outreach Specialist142,000 KES-20%
Instructional Designer89,100 KES-50%
Internet Community Manager121,000 KES-32%
Internet Radio Producer208,000 KES+17%
Journalist177,000 KES-0%
Live Streaming Moderator114,000 KES-36%
Live Streaming Producer174,000 KES-2%
Live Streaming Specialist135,000 KES-24%
Makeup Artist89,300 KES-50%
Media Design Manager241,000 KES+36%
Media Equipment Operator79,600 KES-55%
Media Operations Manager192,000 KES+8%
Media Planner132,000 KES-26%
Media Producer182,000 KES+3%
Media Product Development Manager249,000 KES+41%
Media Production Manager223,000 KES+26%
Media Program Director253,000 KES+43%
Media Relation Executive264,000 KES+49%
Media Relations Manager241,000 KES+36%
Media Sales Manager265,000 KES+50%
Movement and Dance Coordinator147,000 KES-17%
Multimedia Coordinator94,400 KES-47%
Multimedia Designer95,400 KES-46%
Music Consultant130,000 KES-27%
Music Producer199,000 KES+12%
Musician101,000 KES-43%
News Associate129,000 KES-27%
News Reporter173,000 KES-2%
Online Community Moderator124,000 KES-30%
Podcast Advertising Specialist132,000 KES-26%
Podcast Producer141,000 KES-20%
Post Production Assistant82,400 KES-53%
Producer232,000 KES+31%
Product Designer97,100 KES-45%
Product Planner117,000 KES-34%
Production Artist119,000 KES-33%
Production Assistant87,300 KES-51%
Production Director203,000 KES+15%
Production Technician84,500 KES-52%
Program Researcher149,000 KES-16%
Promotion Coordinator121,000 KES-32%
Social Media Compliance Manager161,000 KES-9%
Social Media Compliance Officer139,000 KES-22%
Sound Engineer116,000 KES-35%
Sound Engineering Technician67,100 KES-62%
Stage Technician71,000 KES-60%
Sub Editor87,000 KES-51%
Television Executive Producer269,000 KES+52%
Transmission Engineer137,000 KES-23%
Video Editor112,000 KES-37%
Video Producer132,000 KES-26%
Videographer119,000 KES-33%
Virtual / Augmented Reality Content Creator201,000 KES+13%
Virtual Set Designer153,000 KES-14%
Virtual Staging Specialist160,000 KES-10%
Visual Designer126,000 KES-29%
Visual Effects Artist139,000 KES-22%
Voiceover Artist118,000 KES-33%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Mombasa166,000 KES
Nairobi180,000 KES

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Kenya is 14% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
140,000 KES
Public Sector+14%
159,000 KES
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Journalist in Kenya?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 165,000 KES and 189,000 KES. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Journalist in Kenya ranges from 86,800 KES to 135,000 KES. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn 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


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