When you were young, your parents probably encouraged you to take certain courses in school that will enable you to make more money later in life. It was expected that more money will give you a good life that is free of financial stress that plagued your parents while you were growing up. If you are like many Kenyan families, the best profession in Kenya that were being “thrown” at your face included fields like medicine, law and engineering. The assumption like this was so ingrained in society that it was frequently hammered into our heads both in school and at home.
But no job is more coveted than that of the president of Kenya. Being president gives you the intangible perks such as the prestige and power to lead the country both domestically and internationally. There is also the issue of respect. The head of state is arguably the most respected person in the whole country.
He or she also makes significantly more money than most civilian residents. But how much does president Uhuru Kenyatta really makes? The commander-in-chief actually takes home a salary of Ksh. 1.6 million per month. The president makes more money than his deputy president and all other government officials. But is president Uhuru kenyatta the highest paid person in Kenya? Not really.
This is not to say that politicians are underpaid. In fact, Kenya is one of the countries in the world where political leaders make significantly more money than their average civilians. Even there was a recent legislation passed in parliament a few weeks ago, to pay retired MPs a perpetual pension of Ksh. 100,000 per month. There is no other job in Kenya where you can work only 5 years, decide to retire and still get paid that kind of money like our local MPs.
But politics is not one of the best profession in Kenya where you can significantly make more money than the head of state. After all, the presidency is the most powerful and the most paid political office in the country. Neither Law, Medicine nor Engineering provides the best profession in Kenya in which one can make more money than president Uhuru Kenyatta. Here is why:
1. Medicine: Is This The Best Profession In Kenya?
According to the Salary Explorer, a profession in Medicine will enable you to make respectable income. But this comes with overwork, irregular hours and a risk of exposure to deadly illnesses due to improper and substandard PPE. This is more so in this era of Covid-19. In the past month, more than 500 Kenyan healthcare workers have been infected with coronavirus. At least 3 of them have died already.
In Kenya, physician salaries range from a low of Ksh. 127,000 to a high of Ksh. 583,000 per month. The median salary in the medical field currently stands at Ksh. 331,000 per month. This amount includes housing, transport and other allowance benefits. While this is a great pay in Kenyan standards, it does not enable you to make more than the president of the Republic of Kenya as he makes more than double that amount. It is worth noting that people in the medical profession double their initial basic salary when they cross the 10 year anniversary in their career.
2. Engineering
This profession has disparities in terms of how much money people make. That is, the range of salaries in this field is very wide. From an entry level engineer making Ksh.98,000 to a well seasoned Civil Engineer who take home a whopping Ksh. 4 million. But the median pay in this sector makes Ksh. 950,000 per month, hence making this the best profession in Kenya in terms of pay that gives one the best chances of competing with the head of state. Of course engineers making Ksh. 4 million are very well educated with at least a masters degree and 10 years experience in their field. In contrast, the president of Kenya, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta does not have even a university degree, but commands a respectable salary and a generous benefit package.
3. Law
In most western countries, most presidents and top officials like senators come from the law field. This is particularly common in the United States. Whereas the current president Mr. Donald J. Trump comes from the business world, nearly 95% of the previous U.S. presidents such as the celebrated Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Hussein Obama are trained lawyers. But in Kenya, none of the four presidents have a background in the law profession. But however, Kenya has a cluster of lawyers in the senate including Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen, James Orengo, and many others. Law is one of the best profession in Kenya in which practitioners are able to increase their net worth rapidly over a short period of time.
Whereas most government lawyers make between Ksh. 103,000 to Ksh. 135,000 per month, those in the private sector make significantly more as there is no cap in their salaries. This is more so for lawyers like Paul Muite who can make as much as Ksh. 20 million in a month.
Other lawyers with similar capability includes Abdullahi Ahmedinasir at Ksh. 10 million per month, James Orengo at Ksh. 5 million per month and Katwa Kigen at Ksh. 2 million per month. While a career in law will enable you to make as much as the president makes or more, private lawyers do not have a guaranteed pay as they are paid per case. So their monthly pay fluctuates with the number and types of cases they take per month.
4. Corporate Executive: Is this the best profession in Kenya?
Money-wise, yes it is! A corporate executive is arguable the best profession in Kenya in which you can not only be paid more than 10 times the salary of a head of state, but also stand a chance of doubling your net worth in a fortnight. Corporate executives like company CEOs make 500 times more than a regular employee in their companies. Here are some of the best paid CEOs in Kenya, and yes, they make more than 10 times what president Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta makes per month:
- Gideon Muriuki- Cooperative Bank – He makes Ksh. 31 million per month. He has been at the helm since 2001.
- Joshua Oigara- Kenya Commercial Bank- He takes home Ksh. 25 million per month, thanks to record profits at Kenya’s largest bank.
- Andrew Cowan- East African Breweries Limited- The liquor maker CEO makes Ksh. 9.5 million per month. He joined the company in 2016.
- Jeremy Awori- ABSA Bank Kenya-His salary currently stands at Ksh. 8.4 million per month.
- Benson Wairegi-Britam Kenya Limited- He is paid Ksh. 6.8 million per month.
