QA jobs in Nairobi, Kenya
For QA work, Nairobi counts as a tier c market in Kenya. It has 4 open QA roles, and Kenya has 5 in total. It is the busiest listing hub in Kenya. A mid-level QA Automation Engineer earns about KES 1.9M gross a year here, set from the national median with the C-tier pay index of 100.
Index vs Nairobi = 100. The anchor city for pay and cost in this country. Estimated from tier, not measured.
Open QA roles in Nairobi
4 roles based in Nairobi, newest first. Pay is shown upfront.
Senior AI Tester
Senior Mobile QA
LLM Evaluator
Junior AI Tester
What is hiring in Nairobi
Share of the 4 listings in Nairobi.
- AI / LLM Evaluation QA3 75%
- Mobile QA Engineer1 25%
Pay in Nairobi
Mid-level gross pay in KES, from the Kenya median with a pay index of 100.
| Role | P10 | Median | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual QA Tester | KES 1.1M | KES 1.3M | KES 1.6M |
| QA Automation Engineer | KES 1.6M | KES 1.9M | KES 2.3M |
| SDET | KES 1.7M | KES 2.1M | KES 2.5M |
| QA Lead / Manager | KES 1.4M | KES 1.7M | KES 2.1M |
Country figures: Kenya salary snapshot · All salary guides.
Working hours from Nairobi
Nairobi is on UTC+3 (EAT). A 09:00-17:00 day here shares 7 h with Central Europe (10:00-17:00 local), 1 h with US East, 0 h with US West, 6 h with London and 7 h with Central Europe.
Nairobi keeps UTC+3 all year, but its US and European clients change their clocks twice a year. Europe moves its clocks on 25 Oct 2026 and the US on 1 Nov 2026. For that week US East and London overlap 4 h on a 09:00-17:00 day, against 3 h today.
Nairobi as a QA market
A Tier C city is an emerging market. We list it so remote and nearby roles are easy to find.
Nairobi has about 4.4 million residents (city-proper estimate, GeoNames). It is the 1st largest of the 2 Kenya cities we list, so it is the biggest local talent pool in our list.
Population: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). City-proper figures are not comparable across countries.
Employers in Kenya hire QA mostly in Telecom, Cybersecurity, Banking & Insurance. Listings name Jira, Postman, Python most often. 3 of 5 Kenya roles are remote, against 50% of the listings based in Nairobi.
An East African tech hub with QA roles in fintech and mobile services, based in Nairobi.
Hiring in Kenya
- Contracts
- Employment contract, Fixed-term contract, Contractor
- Notice
- Notice is typically 28 days for monthly-paid employees.
- Paid leave
- Statutory minimum is 21 working days.
- Working week
- Typically 40 to 45 hours.
Typical values only. Full hiring guide for Kenya. Flex work from Kenya is limited: how Flex works.
QA jobs in Nairobi: FAQ
How much does a QA automation engineer earn in Nairobi?
A mid-level QA Automation Engineer in Nairobi earns about KES 1.9M gross a year, with a p10 to p90 band of KES 1.6M to KES 2.3M. Junior roles start near KES 1.5M and senior roles reach KES 2.4M. This applies a pay index of 100 (anchor city = 100) to the Kenya median.
How many QA jobs are open in Nairobi?
Nairobi has 4 open QA roles today, 2 of them remote, and Kenya has 5 in total. Remote roles in the same time zone are open to candidates here.
How much time-zone overlap does Nairobi have with US and European teams?
On a 09:00-17:00 day in Nairobi (UTC+3 (EAT)), the overlap is 1 h with US East, 0 h with US West, 6 h with London and 7 h with Central Europe. Nairobi keeps UTC+3 all year, but its US and European clients change their clocks twice a year.
How does Nairobi compare with other cities in Kenya?
Nairobi is the anchor city (index 100) for pay and cost of living in Kenya. Tier B cities are set near 88 for pay and 86 for cost, and Tier C cities near 80 and 78. These are tier-based estimates, not measured prices.
Which industries hire QA testers in Kenya?
In Kenya listings, the most common industries are Telecom, Cybersecurity, Banking & Insurance. The tools named most often are Jira, Postman, Python.
How big is Nairobi and how does it rank as a QA talent pool?
Nairobi has about 4.4 million residents (city-proper estimate, GeoNames). It is the 1st largest of the 2 Kenya cities we list, so it is the biggest local talent pool in our list. Population alone does not set pay: the pay index of 100 comes from the city tier, and the 4 local listings show how much QA hiring is visible today. Remote roles in the same time zone widen the pool for candidates here.
What notice period and paid leave should I expect in Kenya?
Notice is typically 28 days for monthly-paid employees. Statutory minimum is 21 working days. These are typical values, not legal advice.