Average Veterinarian Salary in Kenya for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Veterinarian salary for 2024 in Kenya and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Kenyan shilling. To keep things simple, we are using the KES currency code instead of the currency symbol Sh.

How Much Does a Veterinarian Make in Kenya?

A Veterinarian working in Kenya will typically earn around 2,207,600 KES per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 1,144,400 KES to the highest average salary of 3,373,200 KES.

Average Annual Salary
2,207,600 KES
Average Monthly Salary
183,966 KES

Lowest Annual Salary
1,144,400 KES
Lowest Monthly Salary
95,366 KES

Highest Annual Salary
3,373,200 KES
Highest Monthly Salary
281,100 KES

These are average salaries for a Veterinarian in Kenya and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Veterinarian to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Veterinarian salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Veterinarian Salaries in Kenya

So we've looked at the average salaries a Veterinarian will earn in Kenya. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Veterinarian can earn between 1,144,400 KES and 3,373,200 KES on average in Kenya. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Veterinarian in Kenya is 2,110,600 KES. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 2,110,600 KES, and 50% of the population earn more than 2,110,600 KES.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Veterinarian salary in Kenya, 25% of the population are earning less than 1,464,200 KES while 75% of the population earn more than 1,464,200 KES.

75% of the population earn less than 2,629,100 KES, and 25% of the population earn more than 2,629,100 KES.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Veterinarian Salary by Experience Level in Kenya

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average veterinarian salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Veterinarian in Kenya that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 1,296,900 KES.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Veterinarian salary would increase to 1,751,700 KES.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Veterinarian, the average salary would be 2,266,400 KES.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 2,748,900 KES.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Veterinarian with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 2,998,500 KES.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Veterinarian with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 3,156,400 KES.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
1,296,900 KES
2-5 Years +34%
1,751,700 KES
5-10 Years +30%
2,266,400 KES
10-15 Years +21%
2,748,900 KES
15-20 Years +9%
2,998,500 KES
20+ Years +5%
3,156,400 KES

Veterinarian Salary by Education Level in Kenya

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Veterinarian in Kenya based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Veterinarian in Kenya with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 1,678,300 KES.

  • Master's Degree. A Veterinarian in Kenya with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 2,076,600 KES.

  • PhD. A Veterinarian in Kenya with a phd education can earn an average salary of 3,323,300 KES.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
1,678,300 KES
Master's Degree +24%
2,076,600 KES
PhD +60%
3,323,300 KES

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Kenya is around 734,000 to 2,200,000 KES and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Veterinarian Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Kenya, a male veterinarian will earn an average of 2,327,100 KES, while a female veterinarian will earn around 2,124,400 KES.

This means that a male veterinarian earns approximately 10% more than a female veterinarian for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Kenya

Male
2,327,100 KES
Female -10%
2,124,400 KES

Veterinarian Average Pay Raise in Kenya

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Veterinarian in Kenya is around 7% every 31 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Kenya is around 4% every 29 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 7 ÷ 31 ) × 12  = 3%

What this means is that a Veterinarian in Kenya can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 3% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Kenya for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Kenya.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Veterinarian Bonus and Incentive Rates in Kenya

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Veterinarian is a moderate bonus based job, with 61% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

39% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.

Received Bonus
61%
No Bonus
39%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Kenya earn approximately 14% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
1,908,800 KES
Private Sector -14%
1,678,300 KES

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Veterinarian

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Veterinarian in Kenya.

Job Title Category Salary
Animal Breeder Pet Care 1,678,300 KES
Animal Care Worker Pet Care 1,088,100 KES
Animal Caretaker Pet Care 1,141,600 KES
Animal Control Officer Pet Care 1,134,800 KES
Animal Health Technician Pet Care 1,296,900 KES
Animal Keeper Pet Care 1,306,100 KES
Animal Scientist Pet Care 2,495,600 KES
Kennel Attendant Pet Care 1,088,600 KES
Kennel Technician Pet Care 996,600 KES
Pet Sitter Pet Care 889,400 KES
Veterinary Assistant Pet Care 1,537,500 KES
Veterinary Office Manager Pet Care 2,290,300 KES
Veterinary Receptionist Pet Care 1,023,400 KES
Veterinary Technician Pet Care 1,524,300 KES
Zoo Keeper Pet Care 1,391,600 KES
Zoo Veterinarian Pet Care 2,161,200 KES

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Kenya, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Kisumu 2,015,600 KES
Mombasa 2,136,200 KES
Nairobi 2,423,000 KES