Trade and Labour Pathways for Decent Work in Kenya's Digital Economy 2025

While digital jobs offer flexibility and new income streams, they are often precarious. Roughly 1.2 million Kenyans are engaged in gig work,46 primarily through digital platforms, but most lack protections such as health insurance, paid leave and dispute mechanisms.47 Wage instability is a core concern. Average hourly earnings on microtask platforms are KES (Kenyan shillings) 125 (97 cents) – below Kenya’s statutory hourly minimum wage of KES 135.9 ($1.05)48 (Figure 4). Payment delays and denials, unregulated hours and sudden job terminations are common. Terms such as “platform worker” or “online work” are missing from Kenya’s labour laws. The absence of effective unionization and collective-bargaining mechanisms compounds the challenge. The dispersed, platform-based and cross-border nature of online work – and the lack of a shared workplace – necessitates innovative union and social dialogue strategies, as international experience shows.49 Recent developments, such as the creation of the Kenyan Union of Gig Workers (KUGWO) and its affiliation to the Central Organization of Trade Unions, Kenya (COTU), are promising. Previously, gig workers relied on informal associations, some of which were short-lived and had limited advocacy capacity as they were not recognized within Kenya’s formal industrial relations system. Occupational safety and health (OSH) concerns are emerging, especially in BPO and content moderation roles. Interviewees expressed the view that long hours and exposure to distressing content cause burnout and anxiety. Formal OSH guidelines for digital workers are absent. Even when mental health services exist, workers report issues of surveillance and retaliation – raising questions about confidentiality and trust. 2.2 Labour rights and fair working conditions in digital jobs Minimum wage versus earnings in platform work in Kenya FIGURE 4 Minimum wage (general labourers – urban)Microtasking AI training Customer support Data annotation Beauty services (platform-based)Delivery services (platform-based)Domestic work (platform-based)Average hourly earnings (Kenyan shillings)300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Source: International Labour Organization. (2024, March 20). Digital labour platforms in Kenya: Exploring women’s opportunities and challenges across various sectors Trade and Labour: Pathways for Decent Work in Kenya’s Digital Economy 13