The modern-day world is massively interconnected, thanks to the high internet rate. One of the most popular trends in today’s society is online work. Kenyans working online. 1. Freelance writing 2. Academic writing 3. Web development 4. Social media influencing/digital marketing 5. Selling digital products like ebooks 6. Micro tasks What was William Ruto’s promise on digital jobs? + View more Unlike conventional jobs, working online eliminates the need for physical employer-employee interaction, resulting in numerous advantages for both parties. Which are the highest-paying online jobs? 1. Freelance writing Freelance writers work for brands, creating content at a fee. This content may include general articles, fictional stories, product reviews, or product comparisons. According to Payscale, the average hourly pay for a freelance writer in Kenya is KSh 353.96. This means that if one works for 10 hours, they could earn KSh 3,500 daily. 2. Academic writing Academic writing has proven to be a reliable source of income for most Kenyans who have failed to get other jobs. According to Payscale, the average hourly pay for a writer is KSh 425 in 2024. A former academic writer, Zack Thuita, disclosed that he made over KSh 1 million monthly during the peak season. “We can say the work was quite rewarding. In a good month, we could make slightly over KSh 1 million,” he said while revealing he worked in the field for eight years, from 2009 to 2017. Subscribe to watch new videos 3. Web development Web developers earn an average monthly salary of KSh 493,550, making it one of the highest-paying online jobs. Their primary role is to create and ensure websites are functional. Some skills needed for web development are proficiency in coding with languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript for front-end development and Python, Java, Ruby, and PHP. 4. Social media influencing/digital marketing Digital marketing is one of the jobs in demand in Kenya, according to BrighterMonday’s Future of Jobs Report. This is driven by the growth of social media, with companies turning to social media influencers to market their products. TikToker Azziad Nasenya, for instance, takes home over KSh 500,000 monthly from brand influencing, as reported by Citizen Digital. 5. Selling digital products like ebooks Selling digital products is another lucrative hustle. Among the products here are software, eBooks and online courses. The amount one can make varies depending on the demand for the products. Bizna Kenya reported that Tiktoker Lewelleyn Ouya raked in KSh 400,000 from selling eBooks. 6. Micro tasks Micro tasks involve completing assignments online. They range from data entry to writing product descriptions. Several websites offer such tasks. Among them are Remotasks, Upwork and Amazon Mechanical Turk. Brian Kipchumba, a Kaiboi Polytechnic learner, told President William Ruto that he earned $284 (KSh 40,902) in a few weeks on Remotasks. What was William Ruto’s promise on digital jobs? President William Ruto announced plans to secure jobs for Kenyan youths abroad and in the digital space. Ruto said he had agreed with foreign countries, including the US, the UK and France, among others, to secure jobs for Kenyans. The head of state said he would build Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres in every ward for youth to learn and work online. He advised youths to show up at ICT hubs for training and start earning dollars.
by Japhet Ruto
