The scourge of mass unemployment in Kenya has caused a lot of people, especially the youth, to turn to online jobs to make a living. With the world going digital and a lot of companies making their operations virtual, there has emerged unlimited employment opportunities for all age groups and career types. The best thing about most online jobs, especially writing jobs for example, is that they are not specific to profession. Plenty of resources can be found online. Online jobs like any other are either part time or full time. You have to be flexible to manage working online. You also need a reliable internet connection.

So let’s take a look at ways you can make money online in Kenya.

1. Blogging

One of the most popular ways you can make money online in Kenya is by blogging. It has taken the online Kenyan market by storm. Topics covered include technology, travel, fashion, food and so on. Before you start your blog, you must choose the type of content you want to produce. Make sure it is something you’re well versed in. Do not pick a topic mainly for the traffic it generates because at some point you’re going to run out of ideas simply because it’s not your passion.

Take a look at this fashion blog for example: http://silvianjoki.com/ that belongs to Silvia Njoki, a well celebrated fashion blogger and stylist who has won numerous awards for being the best fashion and style blog in Kenya. She gives fashion and style tips on a regular basis. Her consistency and high quality content has maintained her at the top.

For more Kenyan blogs that you can draw insight from, visit http://www.bakeawards.co.ke/2016/05/14/and-the-winners-are/ for the winners of BAKE AWARDS 2016, where our website BIZNA KENYA snagged the award for the best business blog!

2. Vlogging

Like blogging, vlogging involves sharing content online but via videos. Vloggers use the popular youtube to share their videos. You need a strong internet connection and a good video camera to do this so that your work is professional. There are people who use their phones to shoot videos but in this case, quality is compromised. The biggest you tuber in Kenya is Kangai Mwiti of beauty blog Bellesa Africa https://www.youtube.com/user/BellesaAfrica

She is a talented make up artist that shares her make up tutorials.

3. Freelancing

Freelancing involves working for a company or companies that haven’t necessarily employed you. They give you assignments that have set deadlines. You work at your own pace as long as you deliver the work on time, virtually of course. Work given is based on different topics with resources available on the internet. As much as you can source online, plagiarism is an offence and can result in being penalized.

A freelancer requires internal motivation and must be disciplined to be productive. You must have a good command of English and be a good writer. Grammatical mistakes can affect the number of jobs you get.

4. Content writing

Content writing is producing content for websites. You can make money online in Kenya by signing up to websites such as https://www.kenyaplex.com/ https://www.upwork.com/ https://www.iwriter.com/ which provide plenty of writing jobs. The more jobs you work on the more your profile is improved and more people can give you work. These jobs are not guaranteed though, it may be tough getting work but perseverance is key.

To be a successful content writer, you must possess a variety of excellent writing skills. Do not just pick any topic to write on, find your niche and perfect it. Your work must also be original and unique. If you’re writing for a website, share your work on social media to attract an audience and make sure your future work keeps them hooked.

5. Virtual Stores

Owning a virtual store can help you make money online in Kenya. Online shops are popular in Kenya, with the biggest being Jumia and Kilimall. They sell a wide variety of products for men and women alike, home products and so on. To start a virtual store, you need to have enough stock so that people are not always asking when you will restock. You will lose customers. People are attracted to variety and quality.

You must have delivery organized. You can either have a store where customers pick their products or do it personally, which can be exhausting, unless you set a specific day/s and location where you deliver.

Virtual stores are very convenient and save consumers a lot of time.