Four years into President William Ruto’s administration, job creation remains one of the key measures of his government’s economic performance.
Official employment data shows that Kenya created about 3.27 million jobs between 2022 and 2025. However, most of the new jobs were created in the informal sector, raising questions about the quality and stability of employment available to Kenyans.
How many jobs were created?
According to employment figures, Kenya created 816,600 jobs in 2022. Of these, 702,900 were in the informal sector, while 113,700 were created in the modern sector.
The 2022 figures provide a baseline because Ruto took office in September that year.
In 2023, the country recorded its highest annual employment growth during the period, creating 848,200 jobs. About 720,900 of these were in the informal sector, compared with 122,800 in the modern sector.
The economy added another 782,300 jobs in 2024. Informal employment accounted for 703,700 of them, meaning about nine out of every 10 jobs created that year were in the informal sector.
In 2025, Kenya created 822,100 jobs, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey 2026. The informal sector accounted for 716,800 jobs, or 87.2 per cent, while about 105,300 were created outside the informal economy.
Overall, approximately 2.84 million of the 3.27 million jobs created between 2022 and 2025 were in the informal sector.
About 420,400 jobs were created in the modern or formal sector.
What do the latest employment figures show?
The latest KNBS figures indicate that total recorded employment, excluding small-scale agriculture, increased from 20.8 million in 2024 to 21.6 million in 2025.
Employment in the informal sector rose to about 18.1 million, while wage employment increased from approximately 3.21 million to 3.32 million during the same period.
The figures show that while employment is growing, much of that growth is taking place outside traditional salaried employment.
For many Kenyans, this means finding work through small businesses, casual employment and other informal activities rather than securing permanent jobs with established employers.
What has the government said about job creation?
The government has pointed to several programmes as major sources of employment, including the Affordable Housing Programme.
In January 2026, President Ruto said more than 500,000 Kenyans were working under the housing programme.
“The housing project is about jobs. Today, more than 500,000 Kenyans are working under the housing programme,” Ruto said.
That figure was higher than the 200,000 direct jobs the President said had been created through the programme by December 2024.
Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga later said in February 2026 that government data showed more than 428,000 Kenyans were directly employed full-time at construction sites, while another one million people were involved in supplying materials and services connected to the projects.
The government was also accelerating construction of affordable homes across the country, with 262,913 housing units under development in 111 constituencies across all 47 counties by February 2026.
Why are government job figures different from KNBS figures?
The difference largely comes down to what is being counted.
KNBS employment figures measure changes in employment across the wider economy.
Government figures, meanwhile, sometimes combine direct employment with employment opportunities generated through specific programmes and their supply chains.
In May 2026, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said more than 6.2 million jobs and employment opportunities had been created during Ruto’s presidency.
Mutua attributed the figure to government programmes and public-sector employment. He cited about 1.895 million people in the public service, more than 128,000 teachers and nearly 60,000 county government workers.
He also attributed 640,442 jobs to the Affordable Housing Programme and 583,868 employment opportunities to Kazi Mtaani.
The figure is therefore significantly higher than the 3.27 million jobs recorded by KNBS between 2022 and 2025 because the two sets of figures are measuring different things.
What does Ruto say about unemployment?
Despite highlighting employment gains, Ruto has acknowledged that unemployment and inadequate incomes remain major challenges.
Speaking during the Beyond Vision 2030 national conversation on August 12, the President said Kenya still had too many people without jobs and many others without reliable incomes.
“We have too many people who still sleep hungry. We have too many people who are jobless. We have too many people who don’t have income,” Ruto said.
He said addressing unemployment should form part of Kenya’s next long-term development strategy as the country prepares to move beyond Vision 2030.
Why is informal employment important?
The dominance of informal employment is one of the biggest issues emerging from the jobs data.
While informal work provides income for millions of Kenyans, it often comes with challenges such as limited job security, inconsistent earnings and reduced access to employment benefits.
The figures therefore suggest that the debate over job creation is not only about how many jobs are being created but also about the type of jobs being generated.
Ruto has identified micro, small and medium enterprises as an important avenue for expanding employment and incomes.
He has called for better access to credit, markets and business opportunities to help MSMEs grow and employ more people.
What happens next?
Ruto said Kenya’s next development framework must respond to changes that have occurred since Vision 2030 was introduced, including technological advances, artificial intelligence and climate change.
He also said the new framework should address inequality and expand access to employment, education, healthcare and other opportunities.
For the government, the challenge going forward will therefore be not only to increase the number of employment opportunities but also to create more stable and productive jobs that can provide Kenyans with reliable incomes.
