Top 10 Side Hustles for Kenyans to Make Extra Income in 2024

Side hustles—what do they mean to you? Freedom? More money? Time with your family? Whatever your definition of a side hustle, you should get one if you want to make extra cash outside your working hours.

But, what is the best side hustle to do if you live in Kenya and already have an 8 am to 5 pm job? Should you do freelance jobs, online gigs, or run a small business?

You can make money in whatever category you choose to start with or stick with. Plus, there is a wide range of freelance jobs, online gigs, or even businesses that any Kenyan can start today and make money, even without acquiring a skill first.

In this post, I will share with you 10 different side hustles you can do as a Kenyan to make some extra money working from Mathira, Migori, Sindo Bay, Mombasa, Narok, or any other part of the country.

But before we get to the list, let me first tell you why you should start a side hustle in Kenya in 2024.

Why you should start a side hustle in Kenya in 2024.

• Financial security: taking a side hustle in Kenya in 2024 means financial security because, in addition to your 8 am to 5 pm job, you will be doing something else and making extra income.

It helps if you can invest the money earned from these side hustles to increase your financial muscle. If done well, and with realistic goals, you can achieve financial security quickly.

• Pursuing passion: Because side hustles come in different forms and require different skill sets, you can choose to do only side hustles in your professional field.

For example, you can choose to become a virtual assistant in your side hustle endeavors (if you are an administrator in your 8–5 job) or take on bookkeeping gigs if you are an accountant.

Going this route not only ensures that you give maximum value to your side gig employer but also allows you to do what you love for the right amount of money.

• Skill development: If you do not want to take a side hustle in the field that you are already working in, then why not try a different thing? After all, there are a lot of easy side gigs that anyone can take and get paid on content-milling sites.

And the best part is that learning a new skill is free.

Leverage resources such as YouTube, Coursera, and Allisons, among others, to develop new skills or to improve what you are already good at.

Let’s now look at some of the top side hustles you can start in Kenya to make money fast.

Top 10 Side Hustles for Kenyans to Make Extra Income in 2024

1. Online trading

This refers to predicting the price of different financial instruments to make money on the correct prognosis.

To begin trading online, you will need to identify and register with an online trading platform.

Our recommended online trading broker is Quotex, but you can also register with Olymp Trade, XM Forex, HF Markets, IQ Option, Pocket Option, Binarium, Binomo, or any other broker that allows you to trade online.

Once you have registered, use the demo account to learn how to trade and make money online in these 4 steps:

• Select an asset
• Monitor the charts
• Place a trade
• Get results.

It’s that simple.

Who can trade online?

Anyone with the required trading skills can trade online. The best part, there are a lot of training materials for learning how to trade.

If you are not sure where to get them, go to YouTube and search for trading materials for the platform you are interested in.

You can also navigate to the knowledge base of your preferred trading platforms and check what they have for beginners.

Tips to help you make money with online trading as a side hustle

• Educate yourself: Learn the basics, take online courses to improve your trading skills, and read books and blogs about trading.
• Choose the right broker: you can get the best brokers by doing research online and while at it, also check if they are regulated.
• Start with a demo account: most brokers offer demo accounts with virtual funds for training. If you open an account with a broker like Quotex, you will get $10,000 free to demo trade.
• Create a trading plan: set clear goals, use risk management, and have a working trading strategy.
• Stay informed: follow trading news and use economic indicators
• Diversify your portfolio
• Control your emotions
• Monitor and review
• Consider automated trading

2. Affiliate marketing

This is another easy-to-start side hustle that you can take along with your 8-to-5 job. And the best part? It does not require much capital to get started.

Once you have identified what you want to promote, go to Google and search for its affiliate program.

You will find a list of programs that allow you to make money by recommending products or services to other people.

If you can’t find it, go to the product page of the product you are interested in and scroll to the bottom. Most products will have an affiliate page link in the footer.

Create an account with that preferred affiliate program to get an affiliate link, which you will be using for promotions.

You can promote one or multiple affiliate products by leveraging:

• YouTube SEO
• App Store Optimization (ASO) or Apple Search Ads (ASA) traffic
• Search Engine Results Pages Traffic
• TikTok Traffic
• Facebook Traffic
• Blogging
• Telegram channels
• Teaser ads
• Native advertising
• Push notifications
• Contextual advertising
• Traffic arbitrage (Pay-Per-Registration (PPR), Pay-Per-Sale (PPS), Pay-Per-View (PPV), Pay-Per-Install (PPI))

Who can become an affiliate marketer?

Anyone can take affiliate marketing as a side hustle.

Keep in mind, though, that affiliate marketing is not easy. You will need to put in the work and prepare for delayed gratification.

3. Blogging

As a blogger, you will make money by writing and posting articles on your blog, getting traffic, and monetizing it.

You can monetize your blog by allowing AdSense to show ads to your readers.

Other than AdSense, you can also sell your merchandise, do affiliate marketing, and allow sponsored posts on your blog.

Just like all the other two side hustles we have mentioned above, blogging does not require your full-time attention, and it is not expensive to start.

Who can take blogging as a side hustle?

Anyone in Kenya can become a blogger and make money with either of the monetization methods mentioned above.

As long as you are confident about your writing and you can spare an hour or two daily to write about the things you love, you are good to go.

Examples of top blogs in Kenya

• Joon Online
• Tuko
• kenyans
• Bizna Kenya
• Nairobi Wire, you name it.

4. Content Creation

If you don’t want to put in too much effort or learn a new skill, then why not start content creation?

You can create video content (YouTube), audio content (Podcasts), and written content (blogging) and make money through ads, sponsored posts, and affiliate marketing.

You can use platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to grow your audience for this purpose.

If you want to solely focus on writing, then use free platforms like LinkedIn and Medium when starting and shift to WordPress when you are ready to go professional.

Who can do content creation in Kenya?

Anyone with a smartphone can start creating content and make money from their traffic by leveraging engagements.

On a good month, you can make upwards of 1 million shillings with content creation, and it only takes you an hour or two daily to record and edit videos.

Top performing content creators in Kenya

• Sharon Mundia (This Is Ess): Platform: YouTube, Blog, Instagram
• Henry Desagu: Platform: YouTube
• Njugush (Timothy Kimani): Platform: YouTube, Instagram
• Joan Munyi (Yummy Mummy): Platform: YouTube, Instagram
• Nancie Mwai: Platform: YouTube, Instagram, Blog
• Wabosha Maxine: Platform: YouTube, Instagram
• Eve Mungai: Platform: YouTube

5. Online Surveys and Microtasks

These websites allow you to share your opinions online for a gift card, a coin, or two.

While online surveys and microtasks can’t make you rich, they can give you some coins to buy lunch, a cup or two of coffee, or anything else that does not cost much.

And the most beautiful part about taking online surveys and microtasks? They don’t require any skill; even the most illiterate people can do them and earn coins.

Best online platforms for online surveys and microtasks

• Swagbucks 

Features: Earn points (called SB) by completing surveys, watching videos, shopping online, and more.

Payout Options: gift cards, PayPal cash.

Pros: Multiple ways to earn, low payout threshold.

• Toluna

Features: Participate in surveys, create content, and engage in community discussions.

Payout Options: gift cards, PayPal cash.

Pros: interactive community, frequent survey opportunities.

• Survey Junkie

Features: Complete surveys and earn points.

Payout Options: PayPal cash, gift cards.

Pros: User-friendly interface, transparent point system.

6. Agribusiness

You don’t necessarily have to be doing the difficult farm work to make money with the agribusiness side hustle.

You can also start an agrovet and hire someone to manage it, or start poultry farming, and feed your chicks twice daily.

Whatever you choose, just try to niche down to make your work easier and ensure profitability.

7. Online Tutoring

As an online tutor, you can choose to take academic subjects, languages, music, coding, you name it…

Generally, you will earn in the range of $10 and $50 per hour depending on the platform you choose to do your tutoring on.

To name but a few, you can do the tutoring side hustle on TutorMe, Chegg Tutors, or VIPKid, at the comfort of your home.

8. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistance side hustles require that you learn a skill in either customer service, administrative support, email management, social media management, you name it.

When you get these jobs and do them to perfection, you will be paid in the range of $10 and $30 per hour.

If you are new to such side hustles and you want to get started, I suggest visiting Belay, Time, and Upwork among other content milling sites.

9. Online courses and eBooks

The other easy way to make money with a side hustle is to write an eBook or come up with online courses that you can then publish and sell on sides like Udemy, Teachable, or Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.

The advantage of this side hustle is, it’s something you do one-off and if it gets off, it pays you for a lifetime.

To make your work easier and your side hustle profitable, consider marketing your eBook or online courses through your website, social media, and email lists.

10. Stock Photography

How many photos of yourself do you have on your phone at the moment? Did you know that you can post them on sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and/or iStock and make money when people buy them?

Some of the people known to buy photos on stock photography sites are bloggers, major news outlets, or other freelancers who use photos in their production.

If your photos are accepted, you will earn royalties each time your photo is downloaded.

Conclusion

There are many other side hustles that you can start to make money online while you still do your 8 am to 5 pm job.

These are just a few that I have tried personally and earned a coin or two doing.

Whichever hustle you choose to do, just do it to perfection and you will end up with an extra source of income to complement what you are already doing.