Kenya Says It Is Now A Cheap Hub For Outsourcing

Kenya is now the cheapest place in the world to hire English-speaking call centre staff, according to new research. That claim is making business news because it could bring more foreign companies to Nairobi.

This report is based on The Star Kenya article "Kenya emerges as world’s cheapest English-speaking jobs outsourcing hub" published Nov 6, 2026 by Jacktone Lawi.

The claim and who made it

The claim comes from the 2026 BPO Cost Index by rethinkCX. BPO means Business Process Outsourcing - when a company in US or UK pays another company in another country to handle customer calls, emails, technical support, data entry.

The study surveyed 18 countries. It found:

• Kenya is ranked most affordable English-speaking outsourcing destination.
• Average hourly rate for a call centre agent in Kenya is about $9 (about Sh1,169) including office costs.
• That is nearly 25% cheaper than Philippines, which charges about $12 (Sh1,559) per hour.
• Other hubs: Egypt also $12, India and South Africa about $13 (Sh1,689), while United States is about $35 (Sh4,549) per hour.

The report said an agent in Kenya costs between $7 (Sh910) and $12 (Sh1,559) per hour depending on company, with average $9.

Importantly, that $9 is what the foreign client pays to the BPO company, not what the agent takes home. Breakdown in report:

• About 30% goes to agent salary
• About 40% goes to benefits, team leaders, quality checks
• About 30% goes to technology, office rent, internet, profit

The study also checked language. Kenya scored 593 in English proficiency assessment, higher than Philippines at 569. Separately, Kenya ranked 19th out of 123 countries in 2025 EF English Proficiency Index - one of best in Africa.

So who made claim? rethinkCX, an independent BPO research firm, quoted by The Star.

Why firms may like Kenya

Three simple reasons.

1. Cost. If you run customer service for a US telecom, you can hire 3-4 Kenyans for cost of one American agent. KenInvest pack from March 2026 says Kenya seat costs 78% lower than UK and 83% lower than US.

1. English and culture. English is official language in Kenya. Plus legal system is common-law, similar to UK/US. That means fewer misunderstandings on phone. FCC in US is even considering rule that foreign agents serving Americans must show American-standard English - Kenya fits that better than many Asian hubs.

1. Time zone and young workforce. Kenya is GMT+3. It gives 5-7 hours overlap with Europe and UK morning shift, and overnight cover for US. Kenya also has median age about 20, large pool of university graduates who already use smartphones, M-Pesa, English.

Companies already here: Teleperformance and Sama run large centres in Nairobi doing AI training, content moderation, customer support.

Government is also pushing. There is Konza Technopolis, Tatu City special economic zone, and target to create 1 million BPO jobs by 2028 per Business Daily Africa.

What it could mean for young workers

For young Kenyans, this could mean everyday jobs, not just tech experts.

• Call centre agent: Starting role, handling calls and chats for foreign clients. Needs good English, computer, patience. Pay may be Sh40,000-Sh70,000 per month typical for entry, based on Kenya BPO Salary Index 2025/26. Not huge, but formal job with shift allowance.

• AI data annotation and content moderation: Labelling data to train AI, checking posts. Companies like Sama already employ hundreds in Nairobi for this.

• Back office: Data entry, HR support, accounting support for UK companies.

But challenges remain. Labour groups have raised concerns about pay and conditions, especially night shifts for US clients, and low take-home versus $9 client pays. Also BPO sector in Kenya is still small - about 36,000 jobs currently vs millions in India/Philippines.

If Kenya truly keeps cost advantage and improves internet reliability and English scores, it could become like "Silicon Savannah" for service jobs. For youth looking for first job, learning customer service English, typing speed, and basic IT could open door.