How To Make Money Freelance Writing in Kenya (+ AI Tips)
You’re tired of the 9-5 grind. You want freedom. You want to work from anywhere. And you’ve heard people are making serious money writing online.
But here’s what nobody tells you. Most Kenyan writers stay broke. They write for pennies while someone else is charging $100 per article for the same work.
This guide changes that.
The Real Deal About Freelance Writing Money in Kenya (From Someone Who’s Actually Done It)
Listen.
Freelance writing in Kenya isn’t some get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a real business.
Writers in Kenya are currently earning anywhere from KSh 150 to KSh 1,000 per hour, with the average hourly rate sitting around KSh 1,500 (approximately $15 USD). But here’s the kicker. The top earners are charging way more.
Some experienced writers are pulling up to KSh 5,000 ($50 USD) per hour or more. The difference between them and everyone else? They stopped treating writing like a side hustle and started treating it like a business.
The Tool That Changes Everything for Kenyan Writers
Before we look at how to start freelance writing in Kenya, let’s talk about your setup. You can’t build a six-figure writing business on a broken laptop that crashes every 30 minutes.
Your laptop is your office. Your factory. Your money-making machine.
You need reliable equipment that won’t fail you when you’re on a deadline. Techstore Kenya has become the go-to place for serious Kenyan freelancers who need quality laptops for professional writing work. They understand what content creators need. Fast processors for research. Solid keyboards for those long writing sessions. Reliable performance that won’t let you down.
When you’re earning in dollars but spending in shillings, investing in the right equipment isn’t optional. It’s strategic.
Now let’s get into how you actually make this money.
Why Most Kenyan Writers Stay Broke (And How You Won’t)
The typical Kenyan writer makes these mistakes:
- They charge KSh 500 for a 1000-word article
- They write for content mills that pay nothing
- They never specialize in anything
- They treat clients like they’re doing them a favor
Stop that right now.
Your writing is a product. Price it like one.
Professional Kenyan writers are charging at least KSh 8 per word or US$ 0.05. That means a 2000-word article should cost at least KSh 16,000 or $100. Not KSh 500.
The Freelance Writing Niches That Actually Pay in Kenya
Generic writing pays generic prices. Specialized writing pays specialist prices.
Here are the niches that are printing money right now:
Technical Writing
Tech companies need people who can explain complex products simply. The average salary for a medical writer alone is over $96,000. Even technical documentation writers are in massive demand.
What you’ll write:
- User manuals
- Product documentation
- API guides
- SaaS help articles
Healthcare and Medical Writing
The healthcare industry is projected to hit $5.6 trillion by 2025, with 70% of providers investing more in content marketing in 2025. That’s not a trend. That’s a tsunami of opportunity.
What you’ll write:
- Patient education materials
- Medical blog posts
- Pharmaceutical marketing copy
- Health tech content
Financial Writing
Finance writers make about $73k per year on average, significantly higher than typical writers. Everyone needs help understanding money. And they’ll pay for clarity.
What you’ll write:
- Investment guides
- Personal finance articles
- Fintech explainers
- Cryptocurrency content
B2B SaaS Writing
Gartner predicted that SaaS spending would reach $197 billion in 2023, up 17.9% from the previous year. These companies need constant content. Case studies. White papers. Blog posts. Email sequences.
Copywriting
Freelance writers with copywriting skills in Kenya earn an average of KSh 195.18 per hour. This is about selling. Not just informing.
What you’ll write:
- Sales pages
- Email campaigns
- Ad copy
- Product descriptions
Academic Writing
Medium-level writers on academic platforms earn at least $3000 per month, with top performers making several times more. This niche won’t die. Students will always need help. And AI still can’t replicate the research expertise and critical thinking required for serious academic work.
How To Actually Get Started As A Freelance Writer in Kenya (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Fix Your Skills First
Don’t jump in unprepared. Poor grammar kills deals faster than high prices.
Take these actions:
- Polish your grammar through free courses on Udemy, Coursera, or edX
- Read in your chosen niche daily
- Write practice pieces every single day
- Get feedback from other writers
Step 2: Build Your Portfolio
No portfolio = no clients. It’s that simple.
Create samples for:
- 3-5 blog posts in your niche
- Case studies if you’re doing B2B
- Landing pages if you’re doing copywriting
- White papers if you’re going technical
Start a blog. Write about your niche. When clients approach you, you can show them your blog and they’ll believe you can handle their work.
Step 3: Get On The Right Platforms
Global Platforms (Where the Money Is):
- Upwork – You can land clients who pay $50 to $100+ per article if you’re good and keep applying consistently
- Fiverr – Start with competitive pricing, then raise rates
- Guru – Great for building early testimonials
- PeoplePerHour – Good for European clients
Local Kenyan Platforms:
- WritersHub
- Nerdy Turtlez
- Falcon Writers
- WriterPro (specifically for academic writing)
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Work multiple platforms.
Step 4: Set Real Prices
Blog posts typically range from KSh 500 to KSh 2,000 ($5-$20 USD) per post, while articles go for KSh 1,000 to KSh 5,000 ($10-$50 USD) per article.
But these are beginner rates.
As you gain experience:
- Increase your rates every 3-6 months
- Your income should always be on the rise as you learn more
- Never charge the same rate for 5 years straight
Step 5: Master the Payment Systems
One of the greatest conveniences is receiving payment directly to your phone through M-PESA almost instantly.
Payment options:
- M-PESA (for local clients)
- PayPal (connects to M-PESA now)
- Wise (formerly TransferWise)
- Payoneer
- Direct bank transfers
Always clarify payment terms before starting work. Weekly payments are better than monthly. Cash flow matters.
How ABOUT AI? Your Unfair Advantage (Not Your Replacement)
Everyone’s panicking about AI. They’re asking the wrong question.
“Will AI replace me?” Wrong question.
The right question: “How do I use AI to 10x my output?”
The Truth About AI and Writing Jobs
Writing jobs on Freelancer.com saw a surge of over 20% in Q3 2023, with copy typing up 28.7%, Microsoft Word projects up 24.7%, and copywriting up 23.8%.
AI didn’t kill writing jobs. It created more demand.
Basic content like product descriptions and customer service documents are at risk, but high-value writing requiring deep expertise, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking remains largely AI-resistant.
How To Use AI Tools Without Becoming Replaceable
Use AI for:
- Breaking through writer’s block
- Creating outlines quickly
- Generating multiple headline options
- Researching topics faster
- Editing and proofreading
- Translating client briefs
- Summarizing long documents
Never use AI for:
- Publishing raw AI content as your own
- Replacing your expertise and insights
- Building client relationships
- Understanding nuance and context
The Best AI Tools for Kenyan Freelance Writers
a). ChatGPT (Free + Paid)
ChatGPT is multipurpose, helping with everything from brainstorming to outlining articles, writing drafts, rephrasing content, and checking grammar. It’s like having an assistant who never sleeps.
Use it to:
- Generate article outlines in seconds
- Create meta descriptions
- Rewrite sections for different tones
- Translate complex topics into simple language
- Develop multiple intro options
Tools like this can cut your time in half by handling outlines, providing examples, and creating product descriptions.
b). Claude (Paid)
Claude has become one of the most important tools for AI writers with its minimalist interface and quality output. Better for long-form content that needs depth.
c). Grammarly (Free + Paid)
Grammarly is trusted by over 40 million people and 50,000 organizations. It catches what you miss. Essential for non-native English speakers.
d). Jasper AI (Paid)
Jasper AI uses templates and recipes to write blog posts, emails, marketing materials, bios, social media posts, and more. Good for repetitive content types.
e). QuillBot (Free + Paid)
QuillBot offers paraphrasing, summarizing, and controlled text generation with color-coded highlights showing changes visually. Perfect for rewriting and avoiding plagiarism.
The AI Workflow That Actually Works
Step 1: Use ChatGPT for research and outlines
Ask it to outline your article structure. Get it to list key points you should cover. Have it generate questions readers might have.
Step 2: Write the first draft yourself
AI gives you the skeleton. You add the meat. Your expertise. Your stories. Your personality.
Step 3: Use AI for editing
Run your draft through Grammarly. Ask ChatGPT to punch up weak sections. Use QuillBot to vary your sentence structure.
Step 4: Add the human touch
Insert personal anecdotes. Add local Kenyan context. Include current examples. Make it conversational.
This is how you cut your writing time in half while improving quality.
The Mistakes That Keep Kenyan Writers Poor
Mistake #1: Writing Without Strategy
Stop accepting every $5 job that comes your way. You should charge as much as clients are willing to pay, and if they won’t pay your rates, it’s because you haven’t reached that level yet.
Focus on clients who value quality.
Mistake #2: Not Building Relationships
One-off clients are expensive to get. Repeat clients are gold.
Be strict with your deadlines and never try to please clients by giving unrealistic deadlines only to default. Deliver quality on time. Every time.
Mistake #3: Ignoring SEO
Most writing jobs now require SEO knowledge. Learn it. It’s not optional.
Basic SEO you must know:
- Keyword research
- Header optimization
- Meta descriptions
- Internal linking
- Content structure
Mistake #4: Not Marketing Yourself
Keep applying on bidding sites continuously, even when you get good deals. Your pipeline should never be empty.
Where to market:
- LinkedIn (Post about your niche daily)
- Twitter (Share writing tips)
- Your blog (Attracts inbound leads)
- Cold emails (Still works)
- Freelance platforms (Never stop bidding)
Mistake #5: Staying Generalist Forever
Versatility increases earning potential and provides a fallback if demand fluctuates in your primary niche. But you need a primary niche first.
Specialize, then diversify. Not the other way around.
The Advanced Strategies Nobody Talks About
Strategy #1: Create Writing Systems
Templates save time. Create templates for:
- Email pitches
- Project proposals
- Common article structures
- Client onboarding
Strategy #2: Build a Team
Kenya writers can get started fast by building small teams, collaborating on copywriting tasks and larger academic projects to boost output and increase earnings.
You can’t scale alone. Hire editors. Hire researchers. Hire other writers.
Strategy #3: Offer Packages, Not Just Articles
Stop selling individual articles. Sell content packages:
- 4 blog posts per month
- Weekly newsletter + 2 blog posts
- Complete website content
- 3-month content calendar
Packages mean recurring revenue. Recurring revenue means stability.
Strategy #4: Use AI to Handle Admin
AI isn’t just for writing. Use ChatGPT to:
- Draft client proposals
- Write follow-up emails
- Create project timelines
- Generate invoice descriptions
Freelance writers are deploying AI more for tasks that aren’t writing-related, like project management, organizational tasks, and automations.
Strategy #5: Become An AI Specialist
You can offer new services like prompt engineering and AI specialist work as a freelancer.
Companies need help:
- Training AI tools
- Creating prompt libraries
- Editing AI-generated content
- Implementing AI workflows
This is a premium service. Charge accordingly.
How To Scale From Side Hustle to Six Figures
Month 1-3: Foundation
- Set up profiles on 3-5 platforms
- Create 5 portfolio pieces
- Apply to 10 jobs daily
- Land your first 3 clients
- Target: KSh 30,000-50,000/month
Month 4-6: Growth
- Raise your rates by 30%
- Focus on one niche
- Get 5-star reviews
- Build your blog
- Target: KSh 80,000-120,000/month
Month 7-12: Scale
- Double your rates again
- Hire your first VA or editor
- Create content packages
- Launch direct outreach
- Target: KSh 200,000-300,000/month
Year 2: Six Figures
- Specialize further
- Build a small team
- Focus on retainer clients
- Speak at events
- Write a book
- Target: KSh 500,000+/month
Common Questions Kenyan Writers Ask
Q: Can I really make $1,000+ per month? You absolutely can make USD1,000 per month with freelance writing, but probably not as a beginner. You have to consistently work on your skills and target higher-paying clients.
Q: How long until I see real money? 3-6 months if you’re serious. Most people quit in month 2. Don’t be most people.
Q: Do I need a degree? No. You need skills and results. If your school essays were decent and you have the discipline to learn a skill, you can succeed.
Q: Should I write for local or international clients? International clients pay more. Clients pay in USD, which means significantly higher income when converted locally. Start local for practice. Scale internationally for money.
Q: Will AI really not replace me? The technology at current levels may take over content mill type projects, but thought leadership, copywriting, and journalism-style content are not in danger.
Focus on high-value work. AI handles the boring stuff. You handle the strategy.
Your Action Plan (Do This Today)
Hour 1: Setup
- Choose your niche
- Create an Upwork account
- Set up your payment method
Hour 2: Portfolio
- Write your first sample piece
- Set up a simple blog (Blogger or Medium)
- Create your writer bio
Hour 3: Pitching
- Apply to 5 jobs on Upwork
- Send 3 cold emails to potential clients
- Join 2 Facebook groups for writers
This Week:
- Complete 3 portfolio pieces
- Apply to 50 jobs across platforms
- Set up ChatGPT and Grammarly
- Read 5 articles in your niche daily
This Month:
- Land your first client
- Get your first testimonial
- Earn your first KSh 10,000
- Build your writing system
The Final Word
Freelance writing in Kenya isn’t saturated. It’s underutilized.
Most writers stay broke because they treat it like a hobby. They charge hobby prices. They do hobby work. They get hobby results.
You’re different.
You invest in proper equipment from reliable suppliers like Techstore Kenya because you’re serious. You learn AI tools because you’re smart. You specialize because you’re strategic. You raise your rates because you’re confident.
The amount you can earn from online writing in Kenya varies widely depending on your experience, niche, and type of writing.
But here’s what’s not variable: Your work ethic. Your commitment to quality. Your willingness to learn.
The writers making six figures in Kenya right now? They’re not special. They’re not lucky. They just refused to stay average.
Start today. Not tomorrow. Today.
Your first $100 article is waiting. Go write it.
Read also: