12 Legit Ways to Make Money Online in Kenya

Maybe you’ve got some money-making experience, or you’re just starting out. Don’t worry, MESH has you covered. In this guide, we’ll show you the real, legit ways people are earning money online in Kenya. No false promises or fairytales. With examples of real Kenyans doing it, including tips from MESHERS.

💡 If you’re not a member yet – hint! Join us! Get the app for free from the play store today.

Set aside 30 minutes, get a pen and paper, and be prepared to take some notes. Ready? Let’s go!

Tuanze na na the no-experience-necessary hustles na side gigs. Unaeza anza many of these adi leo, with just a phone, laptop, and a few shillings. But starting is easy. Keeping going is what will make you money.

Funza ngoso au kilami to international learners kwa platforms ka italki or funza Swa to wale wasee wanakam Kenya, wanaitwa expats. You can find expats in Facebook groups like Nairobi Expat Social.

Na si Kilami ama Swa pekee unaeza funza, online tutoring on topics like reading, math, and even singing, is also taking off across Kenya.

Unajua vile wakenya wengi hutafuta majobs right? Now imagine hiyo market yote ywa wasee wanadai kuandikiwa ama hata ku-editiwa CV.

Help Kenyan jobseekers improve their chances of success with a better CV (but make sure they know it’s still not a guarantee they’ll get work). Unaeza pia offer ku-design the CVs for them using Canva CV templates, many of which are free.

Saa hii, kila msee ni beginner hii story na AI. If you invest a few weeks in understanding AI, you could be the GOAT.

Here is the trick, approach small or badly managed Kenyan businesses and help them save time, money, and resources with software and AI. Learn more in this article. Here's a Foolproof Business Idea for 2024: [Automation Consulting].(https://www.youtube.com/wat...)

Umm, ukiskia “freelancing” you probably think “freelance writing” or “academic writing.” Yeah, you can make money freelance writing – but that’s not the only skill people can pay you for.

Kuna Kenyan freelancers making money doing just about anything:

● Social media marketing.

● - Virtual assistance.

● Graphic design.

● Accounting.

● Coding.

● Customer support

And so much more...

Freelancing ni one of our top side hustles in 2024 because it gives you flexibility, and you can start doing it in addition to another (full-time) job, college ama parenting.

Even better, unaeza freelance for local and international businesses. Imagine getting paid in USD for something you’re already doing here at home. Prezo ana-encourage wasee wafinye Lapi wapate dollar!

Tuongee ukweli lakini, most of these freelance roles require a bit of experience. Especially if you go international, competition is tough. You’ll be competing with the best in the world.

Though, remote gigs for beginners are for instance data entry ama transcription, which don’t require much experience.

So, if you’re just starting out,kama ndio una-anza, stick to freelancing for Kenyan businesses to build your basic skills and experience first.

Avoid freelance platforms ka Upwork and Fiverr for now, and ask around kwa mtaa ama social yako to see if anyone needs help.

In the MESH community we’ve got Kenyan small business owners hiring for freelance gigs all the time. If you’re not a member yet, get the app, join, and you might find your first role.

Often the best freelance gigs and remote jobs aren’t advertised publicly. Zinakuanga shared in private Facebook and Slack communities. If you want to freelance write for example, Superpath, Peak Freelance, and Remarkable Freelance Writer... are the best places to find gigs – not Upwork.

If you prefer a steady income, remote job inaeza kuwa better than freelancing, which is very unpredictable.

After Covid, kupata a remote job in Kenya is way easier. Businesses have adapted to the new “work from home” reality and are happy to hire from anywhere – so long as you have the skills they need.

Unafaa kunote that remote jobs need more professional experience than freelancing, mostly so employers know you can work in a (virtual) office environment. But like freelancing, you can do almost anything remotely these days.

Kuna a ton of remote job boards hiring in Kenya. Check out Dynamite Jobs and filter for Africa to get started. Rafiki.Works and CatalyzU also connect African jobseekers with international remote roles.

Platforms ka TikTok, YouTube, spotify and recently Facebook have made it easier to earn money from home by sharing your stories, expertise, advice, or random memes (yes, you can make money sharing memes).

So.. let’s get stuck in.

Where do we even begin with this one?

Let’s just say, you know your favorite Kenyan influencers. We don’t need to list them here. And you probably know some of them make serious cash through their “influencing.” But… how?

Well, influencers hu-make money in lots of ways:

● Brand partnerships.

● Sponsored content.

● Ads.

● Selling products.

● Affiliate marketing.

And much more...

But becoming a successful influencer is not as easy as it seems. Ask Roy Kanyi He says “You need to hustle a long time to build an audience before you can start making money, and constantly publish valuable or entertaining content.”

Tuambiane tu ukweli, If you need cash today, influencing is not for you.

There is good news, though.

You don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to start making money. Apps kama Wowzi , Twiva and Hustlesasa offer brand partnerships to micro-influencers. This means unaeza make some money even with a thousand followers.

While the glamorous lifestyle influencers get all the attention, there are more serious influencers crushing it online – often with smaller audiences.

For inspiration, Cheki msee kama Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD). He’s not just a tech YouTuber. He’s a giant media company making US$8.5 million a year from his videos. Maybe you can do something similar for a Kenyan audience?

You’ll need a phone camera, internet, a few content ideas to get started, and a lot of hard work. For inspiration, check out how to make money on TikTok...

Newsletters are becoming increasingly popular across Africa, as old media like newspapers slowly fade away.

Take a look at TechSafari. A weekly newsletter sharing African startup stories and has grown into another fast-growing media business that includes events, sponsored content, investing, and many other ways of making money online and in-person.

And it started in the founder’s bedroom at his parents house….

Also, Techsafari has a much smaller audience than MKBHD (around 20,000 subscribers last we checked). So, you don’t need a big audience to grow a successful newsletter.

Just think of something you’d enjoy writing about that has a big audience – sports, business, politics, entertainment – and come up with a unique spin. Then… start publishing.

Newsletter platforms like Beehive or Substack are built to help you monetize your newsletter.

MPESA now offers digital creditcards connected to your MPESA wallet.

● Start a blog: Blogging is one of the oldest way ya ku-make money online. If you get enough traffic unaeza get ad placements and make some income out of this. Lakini these days, most blogs are a mix of YouTube, newsletters, and social media.

● Start a podcast: If you don’t like writing or being in front of a camera, podcasting is the best place to share your thoughts or ideas. But growing an audience is much harder than written and video content.

You already know about mutumba. You probably have some you picked up from Gikomba or Kamkunji.

And now, you’re wondering if you could sell mutumba online too.

Well, yes. You can.

Check out how these ladies who are killing it in Mtumba on Instagram: ThriftsByMwara or Nguonzuri.

But that’s not all. In this economy, kila msee ana try kumake it online. Secondhand goods are in high demand. Lakini tukue honest, reliable, trustworthy resellers are hard to find.

So, if you have the source and patience to get good secondhand anything, people will pay you a small premium for saving them time doing the same.

MESHer Kevin runs a successful laptop reselling biz in Nairobi. Read his story to learn how he’s made it successful.

Kevin also resells via his Tiktok account. Check out how he does it.

Also, remember affiliate marketing from our “Influencer” section? It’s like fancy reselling, but you can do it for digital goods, software, services, and experiences (like travel). Check out our guide to affiliate marketing in Kenya to get started.

Build an online store without owning any products by acting as a go-between for suppliers and their customers. MESH creator David Chege explains drop shipping in this video.

● Sell digital products: Create something that’s 100% digital and online (not physical) and sell it through an online store. eBooks, courses, planners, study guides, even software or digital art! Check out platforms like gumroad and Etsy.

● Build lead gen websites: Build websites for fundis and service businesses and sell them leads, doing their marketing for them. Hubspot has a handy guide.

● Subscription boxes: Combine amazing products from across Kenya and sell them in monthly packages to people with no time or patience to shop themselves. You can create subscription boxes for kids, women, men – the sky is the limit. Check out these 10 cool subscription box ideas for kids.

Okay, so we’re gonna finish with the businesses that require serious skills, equipment, and experience.

These are not for beginners, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never reach this level of online money-making. Put in the work for a few years, gain the necessary career points, and one day you can start making the big bucks.

Uncover Skincare

While Jumia and Kilimall are popular “everything stores,” plenty of smaller independent stores are successfully selling products online, too. These shops were started by a couple of people and found innovative ways to grow in challenging economic conditions.

My favourite examples include:

● Uncover: natural skincare products for African women.

● Kuzi Trading Company: highend plants and garden furniture.

● Greenspoon: healthy and organic Kenyan produce.

● SpaDreaming: exclusive wellness packages at Kenya’s best spas.

If you think these websites are too complicated, that’s okay. We all know plenty of stores operating on Insta and TikTok.

The goal is to find a product people want (and maybe you love), create an online presence (website or social media), and start selling it to them.

You’ll be entering a crowded space, but with the right product, marketing, and customer care, you can find a way to stand out.

A consultant is a highly skilled freelancer usually working in complex industries and advising big businesses, organisations, and governments. You’ll be working with CEOs, politicians, policy makers, and other bigwigs on strategies and advanced concepts.

Wooo…. That’s a lot of big words.

But if you’re already working high up in a (remote) corporate gig, you could offer your services as a si.... And, eventually, work for yourself as a full time consultant.

LinkedIn is the best place to establish yourself as a high-level consultant. You’ll also find plenty of successful Kenyan consultants to learn from and find your own path to success.

Data entry is a beginner's level role that a lot of peolpe can offer, so there is lots of competition globally. The prices per hour are low.

The more knowledge, skills and expertise is required, the higher the fees you can ask. Data science is an advanced role. Especially in roles for which talent is scarce, like technology, hourly fees for consultants are good.

Before investing in courses to get more skills to land a consultancy role, check online to see what the rates are and competition is like.

● Offer SEO services: Help Kenyan businesses big and small appear at the top of search engines like Google and TikTok via Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services.

● Data scientist: help companies all over the world understand their data! This gig is in high demand. Check out what Upwork thinks are the most in-demand gigs on their platform in 2024.

● Become a coach: Help people with their personal development by offering 1:1 life, career, or fitness coaching. Or help them learn a new skill, like piano. All online via video lessons and chat apps.

Once you’re so successful as a freelancer or consultant you can’t do all the work yourself, this is the next step:

Build a team and start an agency.

At an agency, you’re no longer doing work for clients. You have employees, contractors, and freelancers responsible for that.

Instead, you’re managing your team and your clients, growing the business, doing sales and networking, going on podcasts and radio shows.

It’s a lot more work, but it’s also a lot more profitable. Welcome Tomorrow is a recent example of a marketing agency operating in Africa, with an office and clients in Nairobi.

Not every idea on this list will suit you.

You may not have the experience for consulting, the equipment to start a YouTube channel, or the capital to launch an online store.

But, maybe I’ve inspired you to start thinking about the best way to make money online for you. Just remember, this journey needs dedication, continuous learning, and a lot of hustle.

You need to invest in yourself and master the skills that will set you apart.

But, you don’t need to do it alone. At MESH, we’re 165,000+ hustlers just like you. Trying to figure this online money making thing out. We're getting there, together.

If you’re not a member yet, join us today! Download the free app (just 2Mb) and sign up.