# Overtime pay Kenya: rates and employer rules

> Kenya overtime rates explained: 1.5× weekly overtime, 2× rest-day and public-holiday work, the 225-hour floor, working-hour caps and payroll records.

Original page: https://cazini.co.ke/guides/overtime-pay-kenya-rates  
Updated: 2026-11-13 · Cazini (Paul Omondi)

Overtime pay in Kenya is 1.5 times the normal hourly rate for hours exceeding the normal working week, for employees covered by the Regulation of Wages (General) Order. Work on the employee’s normal rest day or a public holiday is paid at twice the normal hourly rate. Sunday is not automatically double time, and dividing gross monthly salary by 225 is not the universal statutory calculation.

## Check which wage order applies first

Start with the employee’s industry and the applicable wage order, not a calculator. The General Wages Order expressly excludes workers in the agricultural industry. Agricultural employers must check the separate Regulation of Wages (Agricultural Industry) Order rather than copy the rates and limits below into payroll.

The General Order also addresses employees covered by other wage-regulation orders: its minimum rates and conditions can apply where the other order’s applicable minimum rates or conditions are less favourable, subject to the agricultural exclusion. Do not assume that finding a sector order ends the comparison.

For your payroll file, record the applicable order, the employee’s normal weekly hours, the designated rest day and the hourly-rate basis. Keep the employment contract alongside that record so payroll and HR work from the same documented arrangements.

## The overtime rates and when to use them

The multipliers come from paragraph 6 of the General Wages Order. The Employment Act separately requires employers to regulate working hours in accordance with the Act and other written law, and provides the weekly rest-day entitlement.

| Work category | General Wages Order rate |
| --- | --- |
| Time exceeding the normal number of hours per week | 1.5 × normal hourly rate |
| Work on the employee’s normal rest day | 2 × normal hourly rate |
| Work on a public holiday | 2 × normal hourly rate |

“Weekday overtime” is an unreliable payroll label. It can misclassify work on an employee’s normal rest day when that rest day falls during the working week. Use labels that identify the reason for the premium: weekly excess hours, normal rest-day work or public-holiday work.

### A classification workflow for each shift

- Was the work performed on a public holiday? Classify it at the double-time rate under the General Order.
- If not, was it the employee’s normal rest day? Classify it at double time.
- If neither applies, did the hours exceed the normal number of hours per week? Apply the 1.5× rate to the excess hours.
- If neither special-day category nor weekly excess applies, this rule does not classify the hours as overtime merely because they fell on a weekend.

For example, a Sunday shift is not automatically double time where another day is the employee’s normal rest day. Conversely, work on a normal rest day that falls on a weekday attracts double time. The roster and rest-day record are therefore calculation inputs, not just scheduling paperwork.

## Normal hours, night work and total-hour caps

Under paragraph 5 of the General Wages Order, the normal working week is no more than 52 hours spread over six days. For a person employed on night work, the normal-week ceiling is 60 hours.

The ordinary overtime provision is expressed in weekly hours. Do not describe it as a universal daily overtime trigger. Retain daily time records so you can establish weekly totals and identify work performed on rest days and public holidays.

| Working-time check | General Wages Order limit |
| --- | --- |
| Normal working week | No more than 52 hours over six days |
| Normal working week for night workers | No more than 60 hours |
| Normal hours plus overtime | No more than 116 hours in two consecutive weeks |
| Normal hours plus overtime for night workers | No more than 144 hours in two consecutive weeks |

The fortnightly limits include normal hours. They are not an overtime allowance that can be added to the normal roster. Check consecutive weeks before approving additional shifts, rather than discovering the excess when payroll closes.

Section 27 of the Employment Act also provides at least one rest day in every period of seven days. Treat rest-day scheduling and payment classification as separate checks: calculating double time does not itself show that the roster satisfies the rest-day entitlement.

## Monthly-paid employees and the 225-hour floor

Paragraph 6(2) states that, for workers not employed by the hour, the basic hourly rate for overtime is deemed to be not less than one two-hundred-and-twenty-fifth of the employee’s basic minimum monthly wage.

The important wording is “not less than” and “basic minimum monthly wage”. The provision establishes a minimum hourly-rate benchmark; it should not be rewritten as “every employee’s gross salary must be divided by 225”.

The Employment Act defines basic salary as gross salary excluding allowances and other benefits. Keep those pay categories distinct when documenting the overtime basis.

### Calculation sequence for payroll

- Establish the applicable basic minimum monthly wage benchmark.
- Divide that benchmark by 225 to identify the statutory hourly-rate floor for a non-hourly worker.
- Document the normal hourly rate used for overtime and check it against that floor.
- Multiply qualifying weekly excess hours by the normal hourly rate and 1.5.
- Multiply qualifying rest-day or public-holiday hours by the normal hourly rate and 2.

This sequence separates the rate check from the hours classification. A correct multiplier cannot fix an incorrect hourly-rate basis, and a correct hourly rate cannot fix a misclassified rest day.

### Check the current minimum-wage benchmark

Legal Notice No. 108 of 2026 replaced the General Wages Order’s wage schedule and is deemed to have come into operation on 1 May 2026. That matters because a change to the relevant minimum wage can change the statutory hourly-rate floor.

When reviewing an existing payroll formula, check the wage benchmark as well as the multiplier. A formula can still display the correct 1.5× or 2× while using an outdated underlying minimum.

## Keep an auditable overtime record

Section 74 of the Employment Act requires written employment records containing statutory employment particulars and each employee’s weekly rest days, among other details. For practical reconciliation, also retain the roster, actual hours, overtime classification, hourly-rate basis and approval record together.

Use [employee management](https://cazini.co.ke/employee-management) records to connect attendance with the designated rest day. In your [payroll workflow](https://cazini.co.ke/payroll), show the overtime calculation distinctly enough that a reviewer can trace the paid amount back to the hours and rate. This is a reconciliation recommendation, not a claim that the cited provisions prescribe a particular payslip layout.

Calculate the overtime amount before estimating the employee’s take-home pay. The [Kenya PAYE calculator](https://cazini.co.ke/tools/kenya-paye-calculator) is a separate step from deciding which hours qualify and which overtime multiplier applies.

[Kenya PAYE calculator](https://cazini.co.ke/tools/kenya-paye-calculator) - work out net pay and every deduction for any salary.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the overtime rate in Kenya?

For employees covered by the General Wages Order, hours exceeding the normal number of hours per week attract 1.5 times the normal hourly rate. Work on the employee’s normal rest day or a public holiday attracts twice the normal hourly rate. Agricultural workers are excluded from this Order.

### Is Sunday or Saturday automatically double time?

No, the day’s name does not determine the premium. Double time applies when it is the employee’s normal rest day or a public holiday. Otherwise, check whether the hours exceed the normal weekly hours for the 1.5× rule.

### Must monthly salary always be divided by 225?

The Order sets a floor of the employee’s basic minimum monthly wage divided by 225 for workers not employed by the hour. It is not a universal instruction to divide gross salary by 225. Document the calculation basis and compare it with the statutory floor.

### Does overtime start after eight hours a day?

The cited provision measures ordinary overtime against the normal number of hours per week. It does not establish an eight-hour daily trigger. Daily attendance records still matter for reconciling weekly totals and identifying rest-day and public-holiday work.

### What is the maximum working time including overtime?

Normal hours plus overtime may not exceed 116 hours in two consecutive weeks under the General Wages Order. For night workers, the corresponding cap is 144 hours. Both limits cover total working time, not overtime alone.

## Sources

[Kenya Law - Regulation of Wages (General) Order](https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/ln/1982/120/eng%402026-06-26) - Coverage, overtime multipliers, hourly-rate floor, normal hours and consecutive-week caps.
[Kenya Law - Employment Act](https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/2007/11/eng%402024-04-26) - Basic salary definition, working-hours regulation, weekly rest entitlement and employment records.
[Kenya Law - Regulation of Wages (General) (Amendment) Order, 2026](https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/ln/2026/108/eng%402026-06-26) - Replacement wage schedule and deemed commencement on 1 May 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the overtime rate in Kenya?

For employees covered by the Regulation of Wages (General) Order, hours exceeding the normal number of hours per week attract 1.5 times the normal hourly rate. Work on the employee’s normal rest day or a public holiday attracts twice the normal hourly rate. Check coverage first because the Order excludes agricultural workers.

### Is Sunday or Saturday automatically paid at double time?

No. Under the General Wages Order, double time depends on whether the day is the employee’s normal rest day or a public holiday, not whether it is Saturday or Sunday. Otherwise, assess whether the hours exceed the normal number of hours per week for the 1.5× rule.

### Must monthly salary always be divided by 225?

The Order sets a minimum hourly-rate benchmark for workers who are not employed by the hour: not less than the employee’s basic minimum monthly wage divided by 225. That is not a universal instruction to divide gross monthly salary by 225. Record the calculation basis and check it against the statutory floor.

### Does overtime start after eight hours a day?

The cited General Wages Order rule attaches 1.5× overtime to hours exceeding the normal number of hours per week. It does not establish an eight-hour daily trigger in the supplied provision. Keep daily attendance records, but reconcile them against the applicable weekly hours and separately classify rest-day and public-holiday work.

### What is the maximum working time including overtime?

Under the General Wages Order, normal hours plus overtime may not exceed 116 hours in two consecutive weeks. For night workers, the corresponding maximum is 144 hours in two consecutive weeks. These are total working-hour caps, not allowances for overtime alone.