Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) have the best salaries-second to United Nations-in Kenya, and provide the best environment to work in when compared to sectors like Banks, Insurance companies and manufacturing firms.
Every Kenyan, especially fresh graduate, strives to work in NGOs because they know what it entails to work in a friendly environment that appreciates your efforts.
Kenya has over 500 NGOs, where more than half are not local. The local ones have also adopted the standards of the international ones such that every aspect of the institutions matches the standards of international institutions.
Due to the large donations they receive, no NGO in Kenya pay fresh graduates less than Sh 50, 000, unless such individual is under probation, attachment or temporary contract.
According to salary survey conducted in 2016, the average NGO salaries in Kenya are 103,000.Impying that more than 70 % of workers at NGO sector earn more than Sh 100,000.
I was surprised the first time I started conducting research when a certain lady working as a secretary revealed to me that her NGO pays her Sh 130,000 yet she only hold a diploma in Front Office and administration.
Though NGOs in Kenya pay handsomely, their terms of service don’t match those in public sector. Since they depend on donor funding, the contracts are usually short. In most cases, professionals sign contracts of 3 years, which are extended based on availability of funding.
If for instance you are used to huge salaries and all of a sudden your salary is cut off due to lack of funding, you will suffer for a while before you secure another job.
But the good thing is that you can earn, in a short time, what someone in the public service will earn in 10 years.
The best courses that can land you in NGO are Statistics, Economics, Biostatics, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Epidemiology, Public Health and Social Work, Public Relations and Communication, International Relations, Nursing and Law.