How Much Does a Nurse Earn in Kenya?

The amount of money that a nurse earns in Kenya depends on several factors. First it depends on where exactly the Kenyan nurse is employed. A nurse working in a government hospital is likely to earn more than a nurse working in a low-end/estate-based private clinic. On the other hand, a nurse working in a high-end private hospital – you know, the likes of Aga Khan and Nairobi Hospital – could probably end up earning more than a nurse working in the government system... So it depends on where exactly the nurse is working. Secondly, a nurse’s earnings are likely to depend on the qualifications he or she holds. Thus all other factors being constant, a nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing is likely to earn more than a nurse who only has a Diploma in Nursing from KMTC. On the other hand, a specialist nurse is likely to earn more than a generalist nurse. This is how you may find nurses who only have diplomas ending up earning more than those with degrees: if the diploma nurses are specialized. Thus a theater nurse or an ICU nurse or a psychiatric nurse is likely to earn more than a general ward nurse… This is also where the question of experience comes into the picture, with highly experienced nurses having a tendency to earn more than newly minted nurses. You surely don’t expect a nurse who has been working in the wards from the early 90s to earn exactly the same as a newly minted nurse from KMTC, who is still learning the ropes… do you?

In terms of actual figures, the range is very broad: you have individuals earning as little as 15,000 Kenya shillings while working as nurses in Kenya, and you have, on the other end of the scale, individuals who earn as much as 150,000 Kenya shillings and even more, while working as nurses. If you are looking for a nursing position at, say, the local low-end estate-based private clinic, you would probably be looking to earn as little as 15,000, perhaps even as little as 10,000 because these clinics generate very modest income for the owners. And the owners tend to be hardnosed entrepreneurs, with a tendency to drive very hard bargains. On the other hand, if you have what it takes to work as an ICU nurse at one of the top private hospitals, you could be looking at something in the 100,000 to 200,000 shillings range. But then again, you have to understand that in the latter case, you would be expected to handle very complex procedures in that capacity.

As a Kenyan nurse, you can increase your earnings by, first, trying to advance your skills. So if you are just a generalist registered nurse, you try to advance to the level of a specialist nurse in things like ICU nursing, theater/peri-operative nursing, pediatric nursing, psychiatric nursing… and so on. It really goes a long way. Another strategy is to just hang on the Nightingale profession: as nurses’ earnings tend to go up with experience. Yet another strategy is that of continually being on the lookout for greener pastures – like for instance, if you started out working as a nurse in a low-end estate-based private clinic, you try to get yourself into the government nursing system. Or if you are a nurse in the government nursing system, you try to see if you can get yourself one of those lucrative nursing positions in the top-end private hospitals… It is about marketing your skills in the best way possible.