Must every employer in Kenya issue a certificate of service?

Yes. Section 51(1) of the Employment Act, 2007 requires an employer to issue a certificate of service when employment ends, whatever the reason, unless the employment lasted less than four consecutive weeks.

Can a certificate of service include comments on my conduct or performance?

The law does not require them. Section 51(3) says an employer is not bound to give a testimonial or certificate about character or performance, and section 51(4) makes it an offence to include a statement the employer knows to be false. A reference or recommendation letter is a separate, voluntary document.

Can my employer hold back the certificate until I clear?

In Hillary v Ace Africa (Kenya) [2023] KEELRC 993 (KLR), the Employment and Labour Relations Court held that the certificate of service is a statutory right that is not conditional on the employee's exit terms, and that lack of clearance is not a reason to withhold it.

What happens if an employer refuses to issue a certificate of service?

Under section 51(4), an employer who wilfully or by neglect fails to issue it commits an offence punishable by a fine of up to KSh 100,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or both. Ask in writing first, then report to the county labour officer or ask the Employment and Labour Relations Court to order it.

Free tool · Updated October 2026

Certificate of Service Generator Kenya: Free PDF for Employers and Employees

Fill in the particulars that section 51 of the Employment Act requires and download a clean certificate of service, ready to print on letterhead, sign and stamp. Waiting for your own certificate? Switch to the request letter and ask your former employer for it in writing. Everything runs on your own phone or computer.

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How to Use the Generator

Choose what you need. HR officers, small business owners and anyone issuing the document pick Certificate of service. Employees who have not received theirs pick Request letter.
Enter the employer and the job. The registered name and postal address of the employer, the employee’s name, the job title, the usual place of work, and the dates employment started and ended. These are the items section 51(2) lists, and the generator will not make a PDF without them.
Add optional details only if they help. An ID or staff number makes the certificate easier to verify. If the employee was promoted or transferred, list each position with its dates. Main duties are useful for the next job application, as long as they are facts.
Download, print, sign and stamp. The certificate comes with a signature line and a space for the official stamp. A future employer or a vetting body will usually check that both are there.

What the Law Requires

Section 51(1) of the Employment Act, 2007 says an employer “shall issue to an employee a certificate of service upon termination of his employment, unless the employment has continued for a period of less than four consecutive weeks.” The duty applies however the job ended: resignation, redundancy, dismissal, retirement or the end of a fixed-term contract.

Section 51(2) sets out what the certificate must contain: the name of the employer and its postal address, the name of the employee, the date employment started, the nature and usual place of employment, the date employment ended, and any other particulars that may be prescribed. The generator builds the certificate around exactly these items, in a table at the top so they are easy to read, followed by a one-paragraph statement in plain words.

Section 51(3) says no employer is bound to give a testimonial or a certificate about the employee’s character or performance. That is why the generator has no box for opinions such as “hardworking” or “dismissed for poor conduct”. A reference letter is a separate, voluntary document. Section 51(4) makes it an offence to wilfully or by neglect fail to issue the certificate, or to include a statement the employer knows to be false, punishable by a fine of up to KSh 100,000, up to six months in prison, or both. Our certificate of service guide covers the court decisions on this in detail.

Worked Examples

A promotion and a resignation

Peter joined an agro-supplies firm in Nakuru as a stores clerk on 1 February 2021, was promoted to stores supervisor on 1 July 2023 and resigned with his last day on 30 September 2026. The HR manager enters the supervisor title as the nature of employment, adds both positions with their dates, and chooses “Resignation” as the reason. The generator counts the last day as a day worked, so the length of service shows as 5 years and 8 months. Press “Load example” in the tool to see this certificate.

Odd dates

Someone who worked from 15 March 2024 to 31 August 2026 gets 2 years, 5 months and 17 days: two years and five months take them to 14 August 2026, and 15 to 31 August adds 17 days. If the figure looks wrong, untick “Show length of service” and the certificate will show only the start and end dates, which are what the law requires.

Less than four weeks

A temporary worker employed from 10 to 30 September 2026 served 21 days. The generator warns that section 51(1) does not require a certificate for employment shorter than four consecutive weeks. An employer can still issue one, and it often helps the worker show experience.

A request that is being ignored

If you left two weeks ago and HR says the certificate will come “after clearance”, choose the request letter, tick “My clearance is still pending” and give a deadline of 7, 14 or 21 days. The letter cites section 51 and the Employment and Labour Relations Court decision in Hillary v Ace Africa (Kenya) [2023] KEELRC 993 (KLR), where the court held that the certificate is not conditional on clearance. If that deadline passes, tick “This is a follow-up”, enter the date of your first letter, and the new version adds the section 51(4) offence and says you will report to the county labour officer. Keep a stamped copy or the email showing when each letter was received.

Tips for Employers and HR

Use the registered business name, exactly as on the company’s registration or KRA records, and a postal address that works. Section 51(2)(a) asks for the postal address specifically.
Take the dates from the contract and payroll, not memory. A wrong date can cost the former employee a job offer when the next employer checks it.
Do not hold the certificate back until clearance or final dues are settled. Pay the final dues separately; our final dues calculator itemises what is owed and why.
Issuing the certificate also counts in the employer’s favour: section 45(5)(c) asks a labour officer or the court to consider compliance with statutory requirements, including the certificate under section 51, when deciding whether a termination was fair. See our unfair termination guide.

Related Tools and Guides

Leaving a job? Write your notice with the resignation letter generator, which can also ask for your certificate, and check your exit pay with the final dues calculator or the quicker terminal dues calculator. If the employer still refuses, our guide to filing a case at the ELRC explains the next step. All our free salary, tax and HR tools are in one place.

Working in HR or studying for it? See what a human resource officer earns in Kenya and the openings for CHRP holders and diploma in HR management graduates. On the money side of leaving a job, Business Radar explains what you can withdraw from a pension when you leave, how to claim NSSF benefits and how notice pay is worked out.

Limits of This Generator

The tool produces a certificate in a standard format based on the Act as revised on 26 April 2024. It does not check the facts you enter, and it cannot add a letterhead, signature or stamp; those must come from the employer. Public bodies and some large employers may use their own certificate forms, and a collective agreement or HR manual may ask for more. Nothing you type is sent to JobInKenya: drafts are saved only in your browser so you can come back to them.