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How Does Work (The Verb) Look Like in Kenya, and How Should It Actually Look Like?

Work. Kazi. The thing we all claim to do but somehow spend most of the day avoiding. If you walk into any Kenyan office, small business, or even a big corporation, you’ll notice something interesting—most people are present, but how many are actually working? Let’s take a brutally honest look at how work currently happens in Kenya and what it should actually look like.

1. The Employee Perspective: When ‘Work’ Means Social Media Breaks

The typical Kenyan employee clocks in at 8:00 AM, but let’s be honest, they actually start working at 10:00 AM. Why? Because the first two hours are dedicated to checking WhatsApp statuses, scrolling through TikTok, and catching up on celebrity gossip. If you’re at the reception of a solar company, you should be learning about solar trends, improving your Excel skills, or understanding customer service best practices—not watching a cooking tutorial when your job has nothing to do with food!

What Work Should Look Like:

  • Use slow hours to upskill—learn a new tool, refine your typing speed, or study industry trends.

  • Separate entertainment from actual learning. If you’re in beauty, watch makeup tutorials. If you work in finance, stay updated on the stock market. If you’re in logistics, learn about supply chain improvements.

  • Understand that employers are not just paying you to be there—they expect productivity, not just attendance.

2. The Small Business Owner: When Work is Just Sitting in the Shop

Many Kenyan business owners open their shops but spend the entire day either gossiping with neighbors, watching music videos, or waiting for customers instead of attracting them. How many times have you walked into a business, and the shopkeeper is so glued to their phone that they barely notice you?

Then there are those businesses that are never open. You want to buy something at 10 AM, but the owner is ‘running errands.’ You come back at 2 PM, and they have ‘gone for lunch.’ By 5 PM, they’ve closed early. But at the end of the month, they’ll be complaining that biashara ni ngumu (business is tough)!

What Work Should Look Like:

  • Actively market your business. If there are no customers, use social media to advertise, improve your shop’s setup, or research better suppliers.

  • Keep your shop open! Customers will not wait for you to be ready.

  • If business is slow, learn ways to expand—find complementary products or services that can boost sales instead of just sitting and hoping for a miracle.

3. The CEO & Business Manager: When Work is Avoiding Work

Ah, the Kenyan manager. They love to remind everyone that they are very busy, yet their office is always empty. Calls go unanswered, emails pile up, and their favorite phrase is "I’m in a meeting." But if you check their social media, they are either at a golf course, attending a useless conference, or posting motivational quotes about ‘hustling’ while their business runs itself into the ground.

Even worse, some CEOs make it difficult for their own companies to succeed. You have a meeting, but they keep rescheduling. You need approvals, but they are never available. They hire people and then micromanage them into incompetence. They don’t read reports, don’t listen to advice, and still expect the business to thrive.

What Work Should Look Like:

  • Be present in your business. You can’t manage a company from a car, a club, or an endless series of business ‘retreats’.

  • Empower employees to take initiative instead of bottlenecking every decision.

  • Learn from companies that are actually growing—leadership is about solving problems, not avoiding them.

The Real Problem: Our Relationship with Work

In Kenya, many people associate work with being busy rather than being productive. We spend too much time looking busy and not enough time getting things done. Work isn’t just about showing up—it’s about adding value. If your daily activities don’t contribute to actual results, you’re just passing time.

The Real Solution: Work Smart and Work Right

  • Have a clear goal for every workday – What do you need to accomplish today?

  • Use technology wisely – Your phone is a learning tool, not just an entertainment device.

  • Separate work from leisure – Allocate specific time for work and for socializing.

  • Be honest about your productivity – Did you actually work today, or did you just warm a chair?

Kenya can only grow when we take work seriously. Whether you’re employed, running a small business, or managing a company, the question is the same: Are you working, or are you just pretending to be busy?

What Do You Think?

Do you see these work habits in your workplace or business? What changes do you think need to happen? Drop your thoughts below!

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