Career advice · Updated November 2026

How to Write a Job Advert in Kenya: An Employer Checklist and Sample

Photo: Antoni Shkraba / Pexels (Pexels License, free to use)

To write a job advert in Kenya, state what the person will do, where and how they will work, the relevant qualifications, the application route and the deadline. Separate genuine requirements from preferences. A useful advert lets a qualified applicant decide whether the role fits without having to guess the employer, contract type or submission method.

This guide is for employers preparing a real vacancy. The sample wording below is explicitly hypothetical and is not an open job. Legal points refer to Kenya’s Employment Act text revised to 26 April 2024; this is practical information, not a substitute for advice on a disputed or regulated recruitment.

Start with the actual role, not an old advert

Ask the hiring manager which work the successful person will own and what a good first few months should achieve. Turn that into a short role summary and a handful of concrete duties. Avoid copying a senior employee’s old job description into an entry-level vacancy simply because it is available.

Confirm the reporting line, work location, travel expectations and contract type before publication. If recruitment is subject to budget approval, resolve that internally rather than inviting applications for an uncertain role. The title should match the responsibility: inflated titles can attract candidates whose expectations the employer cannot meet.

Separate essential and desirable criteria

Essential criteria should describe what is genuinely needed to do the work. Desirable criteria are helpful but not automatic rejection grounds. Check whether a degree, professional registration, driving licence or particular system skill is actually necessary. Explain regulated requirements clearly rather than using them as unexplained screening labels.

An advert that demands every possible skill can discourage suitable applicants and make consistent shortlisting difficult. Agree a simple scoring framework before applications arrive. If you are willing to train a capable candidate, say so instead of simultaneously calling the vacancy entry-level and requiring many years of identical experience.

Check discrimination risks before publishing

Section 5 of the Employment Act covers prospective employees and recruitment practices, including advertising and selection criteria. It prohibits discrimination on protected grounds and includes exceptions, such as an inherent requirement of a job and specified lawful measures. Do not turn that into a simplistic rule that every distinction is lawful or every specialised requirement is forbidden.

Ask whether a condition is necessary for the work and can be explained objectively. Remove unnecessary personal restrictions. If a condition may rely on a legal exception, obtain appropriate advice and document the reason. Our discrimination guide provides broader context for employers and applicants.

Make working terms clear

State whether the role is permanent, fixed-term, part-time or an internship. Specify the location and whether any remote or hybrid arrangement is actually approved. Where the employer has an approved pay range, publishing it can help applicants decide whether to apply; do not invent a range merely to complete a template.

Be precise about application dates and times. Include the time zone if an exact cut-off is stated, especially for remote applicants. Do not promise benefits that have not been approved. The advert is a recruitment communication, not a replacement for the eventual employment contract and its written particulars.

Use a proportionate application process

Ask initially for the information you genuinely need to shortlist. Section 9(5) addresses clearance and compliance certificates before an employer expresses an intention to enter an employment contract, with a state-office exception. Check the actual legal wording and applicable rules instead of routinely demanding every clearance certificate from every first-round applicant.

Tell applicants which document formats are accepted, whether a cover letter is required and how they will submit. Use a controlled company address or recruitment platform rather than a staff member’s personal account where possible. Decide who can access applications and how applicant information will be handled.

Hypothetical job advert example

Example only: the following is not a live vacancy and is not accepting applications. It illustrates structure. Replace each element with verified, approved information before using it for a real employer.

Role: Customer Support Officer. Employer: a hypothetical Nairobi-based service business. Work arrangement: an office-based, fixed-term role; the real employer would specify the actual term, location and working hours.

Purpose: respond to customer enquiries, maintain accurate case records and escalate issues requiring another team’s decision. Main duties: answer enquiries through approved channels, record actions taken, follow up unresolved cases and prepare a short service report for the supervisor.

Essential criteria: clear written communication, accurate record-keeping and the ability to use the employer’s customer-management tools after training. Desirable: relevant customer-support experience. A real advert must add only the qualifications and experience genuinely needed for that role.

Application section: the real employer would insert its approved application link or address, required documents, reference and deadline. No address or deadline is supplied in this example because it is not a real recruitment exercise. Pay and benefits would also need approval before publication.

Review the advert as an applicant would

Before posting, ask someone outside the hiring team to explain the role back to you. Can they identify the employer, key tasks, essential criteria and application route? Check the link on a phone and confirm that the mailbox or form can receive submissions. A correctly written advert still fails if its form rejects the permitted file type.

Proofread dates, role references and contact details together. Save the final approved version and record where it was published. If you change a material requirement or deadline, make the correction visible on every channel rather than quietly editing just one copy.

Publish and manage the response

Use the JobInKenya employers page for the site’s employer options and read the current submission requirements. Do not assume a particular listing service or price is included unless it is stated. After publication, monitor the application route and use the same agreed criteria consistently when shortlisting.

Candidates can compare real adverts on our jobs page. Employers can also link applicants to our application documents guide, while making clear that the vacancy’s own instructions take precedence.

The legal source is the Employment Act on Kenya Law, revised to 26 April 2024, particularly sections 5 and 9. Check subsequent amendments and applicable recruitment rules before relying on a legal interpretation.

Hiring for the first time? Business Radar’s first-employee guide covers the wider setup. Post a job or check the current featured-listing options on JobInKenya.

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