Domestic Staff in Nairobi

We are due to locate to Nairobi later this year and in the process of drawing up a budget so that we know where we might stand. One unknowable seems to be the cost of domestic staff in Nairobi. Not sure about having staff at home, but it seems to be the local culture and we if we can help provide some employment in a small way, then perhaps its OK.

So: any ideas please what are the normal monthly rates for the most common type of domestic staff employed in Nairobi?

Thank you.

Jane

Would love any guidance out there - unless nobody's employing domestic staff in Nairobi any more! Thank you.

Jane

Hi Jane,
We have just moved to Nairobi, have not yet even met our staff, but we have agreed to "inherit" the previous tenant's staff for a 3 month trial period. The previous tenant had a full-time housekeeper for 15000Kes per month, and a part-time gardener who worked 2 full days for 4000Kes a month. I hear (although do not really know) that 15000/mo. for full-time is average, with variation in whether or not people help out with "loans", medical or education expenses, etc. Hope this helps.
Juniper

Thanks for that Juniper.

So I take it that the figure would be approx KSh15,000 per month for the different varieties of domestic staff: from nanny to housekeeper, guard and gardener.

Would others who have more experience confirm that?

We are also in the middle of our relocation to Nairobi and I have interviewed 2 domestic workers last week.
I have been told that we should start the person we choose on 12000ksh per month and review after 6 months based on performance.
When asking the ladies interviewed they seemed happy with the proposition.
We don't have a gardener so cannot comment on that, however we do have a driver who we pay Ksh 16000 a month which will also be reviewed in 6 months based on performance.
In addition I believe its customary to give a small mobile phone allowance of around Ksh 100 per month if you want to be able to contact your staff on their mobile.

Hope this helps.

Hi everyone,
I hear prices (food, transport etc) have risen hugely in the past few months, my housekeeper (who just started this week) asked if it would be possible to be paid more than with previous employer. I don't know what to do but am just throwing this out for comment, advice. Also, my part-time gardener is looking for more work, if any of you would like to consider him, send me a message.
Thanks,
Juniper

Juniper: yes, rising prices a big problem for low wage earners, but asking for a raise in the first week is also worrisome - unless you agreed the wage figure a long time in advance. How did you deal with the request?

Sorry, no need for a gardener at the moment.

kitkat

This is a thorny subject and difficult to get a straight answer from anyone as it is fairly subjective. I think that as long as you feel you are in line with others, then you are doing okay.

I pay around 15,000 per month but had to add an extra 500/- when I decided to switch to paying staff via Mpesa rather than cash - I thought this fair because of the nominal fee charged by Mpesa each time you draw money. The Mpesa system has made my life much easier - because I do this in conjunction with phone banking with NIC so don't need to handle cash at all. The only problems come when you try to make transfers at exactly the end of the month, because then phone lines jam because of so many transactions. Our gardener is paid only slightly less than our house help at 12,500/ plus at least an additional 1,000 per month for overtime hours at weekend.

Most house staff ask for a mid month advance of 1,000 or 2,000/-. this is normal practise.

I also have a system where everyone gets bread/jam and tea at 11am, then I supply tea, sugar, washing soap and keep staff quarters stocked up with soap for shower/hands/loo roll each month. Other people I know buy 2kgs of unga (flour for maize meal) as well. An alternative might be to give a fixed amount for lunch per month. Workers can often buy a side of the road cooked meal of rice and beans or something like this for 20/- to 30/- per plate.

Since times have been very hard over the past month with rising food prices, I've gifted some money to staff members who have big loans here and there, so that they don't have to pay so much back. Many of the loans are taken because of school fees or when somebody in the (extended) family falls sick or dies and relatives are asked to contribute. I have a good relationship with the people who work in the house because we've been together for 8 years now. I wouldn't recommend giving big loans or gifting money until you have established a trusting relationship and a good dynamic.

Hope this helps!!

With the cost you also have to consider the quality of service any domestic agency provides to you. Their reputation in market is important.

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housekeeper London