Empowering Homes, Empowering Lives: Uniting Domestic Workers for Dignity, Fairness, and Respect
Empowering Homes, Empowering Lives: Uniting Domestic Workers for Dignity, Fairness, and Respect
The union is committed to ensure all member Domestic Workers are respected and treated decently.
Champion for fair labor standards and working conditions for domestic workers.
Empower Domestic Workers with opportunities for skill development, education, and professional growth.
years of service
The Kenya National Union of Domestic Workers is a united force committed to advocating for the rights and well-being of Domestic Workers. We believe in fostering a culture of respect, fair labor practices, and continuous learning within the domestic work sector.
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Active Members
Behind closed doors, Kenya’s Domestic workers (often women and girls) power households but remain trapped in a cycle of exploitation. From legal invisibility to hazardous conditions, their struggles for dignity and fair pay demand urgent action. Explore the systemic barriers they face and join the movement for change.
Domestic workers in Kenya are excluded from the Employment Act (2007), leaving them without legal protections such as minimum wage, formal contracts, or maternity leave. Despite ratifying ILO Convention 189 in 2015, which mandates decent work conditions, enforcement remains lax, and many employers ignore basic labor rights. This legal gap perpetuates systemic exploitation and limits recourse for abuses.
Most domestic workers earn far below Kenya’s statutory minimum wage, often as little as KES 5,000–10,000 monthly, with no guaranteed overtime pay. Informal hiring practices and verbal agreements make it easy for employers to withhold wages or delay payments, particularly for live-in workers who face heightened financial dependency.
Isolation in private homes exposes domestic workers to physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, with migrant workers and children especially vulnerable. Trafficking networks exploit rural-urban or cross-border migration, trapping workers in forced labor through debt bondage or confiscated documents.
Workers often handle toxic cleaning agents without protective gear, risking respiratory and skin ailments. Live-in domestic workers frequently endure overcrowded, unsanitary accommodations and 16-hour workdays with no rest days, leading to chronic fatigue and health deterioration.
Domestic work is culturally devalued as “unskilled,” reinforcing societal disrespect and discrimination. Over 90% of domestic workers are women and girls, who face gender-based violence, pregnancy-related dismissals, and limited career advancement opportunities.
Most domestic workers are excluded from Kenya’s social security system, denying them pensions, unemployment benefits, or workplace injury compensation. High healthcare costs and employer restrictions on accessing medical services further jeopardize their well-being.
Weak labor inspections and corruption enable employers to violate rights with impunity. While unions like the Kenya National Union of Domestic Workers (KNUDOW) advocate for change, low awareness of rights, fear of retaliation, and fragmented support networks hinder collective action.
Members like you fight back unpaid wages, harassment, or dismissal. Our collective legal team has your back, no fees, no fear.
The union collectively negotiate fair pay, overtime, and maternity leave,no Domestic Worker left behind.
The union stands in solidarity to enforce member Domestic Workers safe working conditions and work with clearly stipulated contracts
In danger? Call your union family. Members fund shelters, Medical aid, and Emergency relief -24/7 solidarity.
Train with your peers. Members share childcare, cooking, and finance skills.
Your voice + our strength = change. Hundreds of members stand with you to command respect and rights
Together, we can transform Domestic Work into a respected profession. Join the movement to uplift these essential workers..
House Manager
Laundry Attendant
Gardener
Security Personnel
Nanny/Childcare Provider
Cook
Elderly/Disabled Caregiver
Casual Worker
Migrant Domestic Worker
+(254) 725 026 267
info@kenyadomesticworkersunion.org
Coffee plaza, Nairobi