A thrift fashion seller connecting with her customers online/FREEPIK.COM
In Kenya, hustle culture is more
than a buzzword. It is a way of life, a survival strategy, and increasingly, a
defining feature of the country’s economic and social fabric.
From Nairobi’s bustling estates to
rural towns, young people are turning to side hustles—digital, physical, and
hybrid—to navigate unemployment, inflation, and shifting expectations.
What was once seen as a temporary
fix has become a permanent reality.
These efforts reflect the country’s
deeply entrenched culture of ingenuity and grit in the face of economic
adversity. Beneath this entrepreneurial spirit, however, lies a quieter, more
troubling reality: a generation running on empty, juggling multiple jobs,
sacrificing rest, and quietly burning out.
Historical Roots of Hustle Culture
Jua Kali tradition: Since the 1970s, Kenya’s informal sector, known as jua kali
(literally “hot sun”), has provided livelihoods for millions. Artisans,
mechanics, and traders built an economy outside formal structures.
Formal jobs have never matched
Kenya’s population growth. Today, youth unemployment hovers around 35 percent,
according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Hustling is celebrated as resilience
and ingenuity. Proverbs like “maisha ni kujikaza” (life is about
hustling hard) reflect this ethos.
In November 2025, 300 Jua Kali artisans
in Eldoret were awarded Recognition of Prior Learning certificates by the
National Polytechnic, formally acknowledging skills acquired informally.
Chief Principal Charles Koech noted
that this was the first time RPL graduates received certificates at the
institution’s 20th graduation ceremony.
In collaboration with the Jua Kali
Federation and the Ministry of Education, the college identified skilled
artisans who acquired expertise informally and assessed them for partial
certification. Some are yet to complete all competency units but will have
opportunities to extend their learning.
Koech emphasised the role of dual
training, where learners spend half their time in college and the other half
gaining practical experience in industry. He described the model as a game
changer, equipping graduates with practical skills that enhance employability.
A jua
kali artisan in a workshop in Kamukunji, Nairobi /FILE
The Modern Hustle: Digital and
Diversified
Kenya’s hustle culture has shifted
dramatically over the past decade:
Digital platforms: TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Jiji, and Jumia have become
marketplaces for thrifted clothes, food delivery, and digital services.
Licensed brokers now offer apps that let everyday Kenyans trade equities,
bonds, and even global assets directly from their phones. The Capital Markets Authority
(CMA) has supported this shift with progressive licensing.
Gig economy: Kenya’s gig economy is rapidly expanding, driven by
ride-hailing, delivery apps, and online freelancing. It offers flexibility and
income opportunities for youth and women but comes with challenges such as
unstable earnings, lack of social protection, and job insecurity.
Apps like Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal
connect Kenyan freelancers to global clients. Ride-hailing (Uber, Bolt, Little
Cab), delivery services (Glovo, Jumia Food), and domestic service apps are
growing. Gig work allows youth and women to balance multiple roles while
accessing the global digital economy.
KICTANet Think Tank notes that gig
work is “transformative for youth and women” but warns of “unstable incomes and
arbitrary account suspensions.”
Diversification: Young Kenyans often juggle multiple hustles—selling online,
farming, tutoring, or boda-boda investments—balancing ambition with exhaustion.
A 2024 GeoPoll survey found that 71 percent of employed youth aged 18–35 have
side hustles, with nearly half earning less than Sh30,000 per month. A KNBS
report showed that more than 60 percent of young adults in urban areas juggle
at least one side hustle alongside formal jobs or studies.
The Double-Edged Sword
Benefits of hustle culture
Earning a livelihood: The entrepreneurial spirit behind the culture provides
young people with income to pay bills, enroll in schools, and expand
businesses.
Resilience: Hustling provides income where formal jobs fail. With youth
unemployment above 35 percent, many Kenyans turn to side hustles for survival.
Platforms like Balozy, which connects informal workers—from tailors to DJs—with
clients, show how hustling sustains families despite limited formal
opportunities.
Innovation: Youth-driven enterprises in digital marketing,
agribusiness, and creative industries are reshaping Kenya’s economy. Hustle
culture allows young Kenyans to redefine work through online stores, freelance
photography, and farming ventures, creating multiple income streams and new
business models. This innovation is not just economic—it’s cultural, reframing
hustling as ambition rather than desperation.
Community networks: Hustlers rely on peer support, WhatsApp groups, and
cooperative models. The National Summit of Community Networks in Kenya
highlighted how grassroots digital networks in Kisumu, Siaya, and Homabay
counties provide connectivity and collaboration for hustlers. These networks
help share resources, pool investments, and amplify opportunities.
Challenges
Many hustlers run on empty, juggling
multiple jobs, sacrificing rest, and facing burnout. According to the World
Health Organization, burnout is a growing occupational risk. Across the
country, workers report mental fatigue, sleep deprivation, and health issues
tied to overwork.
Youth often ignore these risks,
compounded by crackdowns on small online businesses by the Kenya Revenue
Authority, adding stress for digital entrepreneurs.
Precarity: Hustles often lack social security, healthcare, or pensions.
Jedca Media notes that Kenya’s hustle economy is vibrant but “undervalued,
unstructured, and vulnerable to exploitation,” leaving workers exposed to
shocks. Without formal contracts or protections, hustlers face unstable incomes
and no safety nets.
Inequality: Not all hustles scale. Digital divides leave rural youth
behind. While urban hustlers thrive on Instagram shops and delivery apps, rural
areas struggle with poor connectivity and limited access to digital tools. This
reinforces inequality between urban and rural workers.
Case Studies
Thrift fashion sellers: Instagram and TikTok have become central marketplaces for
mitumba (second-hand clothes). The Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya
reports that the sector employs over two million people and contributed around
Sh16 billion in tax revenue in 2023. Young sellers often brand themselves as
“stylists” rather than traders, turning global waste streams into local fashion
economies.
Boda-boda investments: The Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya estimates about
1.6 million riders nationwide, including nearly 1.3 million youth. The sector
grows at about 25 percent annually. It provides steady daily income and has
become a popular side hustle for students and unemployed graduates.
Freelance creatives: Kenya’s creative economy includes photography, design, and
influencer marketing. A 2023 report by Kenya Film Commission (KFC) and KNBS
valued the film and entertainment industries at Sh86.9 billion. Platforms like
Upwork, Fiverr, and TikTok allow Kenyan creatives to monetize skills globally.
Digital freelancing blends opportunity with vulnerability, as youth are
globalized workers but remain unprotected by local labor laws.
Agribusiness hustles: Urban youth increasingly invest in poultry, hydroponics,
and vegetable farming. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis
(KIPPRA) notes that youth involvement across agrifood value chains contributes
to job creation, innovation, and social inclusion. WhatsApp groups and TikTok
accounts are used to share farming tips, pool resources, and market produce.
Agribusiness is more sustainable than gig work but requires upfront capital and
patience.
Together, these examples show
Kenya’s hustle culture is diversified. Fashion connects global supply chains to
local youth economies; transport hustles leverage collective savings and
digital coordination; creative freelancing globalizes talent but exposes
vulnerability; agribusiness hustles reconnect urban youth to food security and
sustainability.
Mental Health Risks of Hustle
Culture
Globally and in Kenya, “hustle
culture”—the pressure to constantly grind, multitask, and side-hustle—can
seriously harm mental health.
Multiple studies link chronic
overwork and long hours to burnout, anxiety, depression, stress, exhaustion,
fatigue, and psychological distress. Hustle culture often normalizes poor
work–life balance, undermining rest, personal relationships, and sleep, leading
to emotional collapse and loss of motivation.
Julia, an online thrift fashion
seller, recalls how burnout in April led to depression, costing more than her
earnings for the month.
“It started with fatigue. At some
point, I even hated waking up to post or tell my customers what was new in the
bale. Then came nightmares of failure,” she said. “I had to start therapy—10
sessions—which ate into my March savings. Now, I make efforts to manage a
healthy work–me balance.”
Chronic stress from overwork can
also elevate stress hormones, disturb sleep, increase cardiovascular risk, and
aggravate emotional strain.
Policy and Structural Implications
Informal work dominates, social
protection is limited: A large
share of Kenya’s workforce operates outside formal employment. The National
Social Protection Secretariat notes about 16 million informal workers, many
without pensions, unemployment benefits, or safety nets.
A 2025 labour market study
highlights a “structural paradox”: despite sustained economic growth, around 90
percent of new jobs are informal, constraining productivity and denying
security associated with formal employment. KIPPRA notes that labour laws and
social security systems often exclude gig and informal workers.
Digital and gig-economy initiatives: The Ajira Digital Programme provides youth with digital
skills and connects them to online or gig work. Critics argue that many listed
centres do not exist in practice, courses may be sub-standard, and participants
struggle to secure stable work. Many digital jobs remain precarious, lacking
benefits, security, or labor protections.
Youth unemployment and
education-to-work mismatch: Limited
access to capital, mentorship, and training, and a mismatch between education
output and labour market needs, push graduates into informal or gig work as
fallback.
Gender, youth, and digital
inequality: Informal and digital work
disproportionately draws youth and women. The ILO notes that women make up a
high proportion of informal platform work. Rural youth and women in marginalized
areas face infrastructure, credit, and market access barriers.
Hustle culture in Kenya is both a
testament to youth resilience and a symptom of systemic failure. It reflects
creativity, adaptability, and determination but also exposes cracks in formal
employment and social protection. Experts warn that the challenge is balancing
ambition with sustainability, ensuring hustling is not just survival, but a
pathway to dignity and opportunity.