How much are top actors in Kenya paid?

Have you ever sat down and asked yourself, how much are top Kenyan actors paid? When you look around you will see your favorite TV show actors such as Maria, Luwi and the likes of Inspector Mwala and wonder how much they are fetching home.

The truth of the matter is some of the actors you actually pity for when you see them on the screen are taking home hundreds of thousands at the end of the day.

Actors are not limited to TV scripts casts alone. As an actor you stand a high chance to cash in from advertisements and endorsements. If you make a name out of your role, you will be smiling all the way to the bank with gigs coming from left right and centre.

Some of the top national TV networks such as Citizen TV, KTN, NTV, K24,TV47,KBC and regional media houses such as Maisha Magic actually do pay well for the TV drama programs.

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One thing you need to know is that media stations do not pay actors directly. Media houses enter into contract agreement with program producers and directors and the agreement on payment rates is based on episodes.

From here, the program owners will come up with a formula to pay their actors depending on the role they play on the show.

For instance a recent confident report from Royal Media Services revealed that Rashid Abdalla and Lulu Hassan who produced popular TV show Maria are said to be pocketing between Ksh. 250,000 to ksh.500, 000 per episode.

In the same vein, the cast of the show are paid between Sh. 10,000 and Sh. 25,000 per episode. This, however, depends on the character and roles played.

The more demanding your role is as an actor, the more you will take home. This means that actors such as Maria and Luwi who play the lead role might be taking home more per each episode than their peers.

The report further revealed that MNet purchases local content at between Ksh.400,000 to ksh.500,000 per each episode aired.

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However, the report revealed that a majority of media stations in Kenya purchase local content at an average fee of Ksh.100,000.

It is reported that a majority of casts in shows played by KBC,KTN and NTV earn between Sh. 5,000 – Sh. 10,000.

So, if you are an aspiring actor in Kenya, it is important to know the fact that the value of the program will highly influence what will trickle down to you.

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