Actors pay in Kenya is way too low compared to their counterparts in, let’s say, South Africa. Soapie main actors in South Africa earn between R25,000 (Ksh176605) to R60,000 (Ksh423853) per month. Not bad at all.
While locals programs are starting to dominate our screens, local actors-who are wrongly thought to earn a lot and expected to live the lives of celebrities-don’t earn much as you will see below.
Here is what Kenyan actors earn per episode as compiled by WoK.
TV show Actors
A-list actors, in the class of Sarah Hassan, pocket Ksh25,000 per episode. Newbies playing leading roles in TV shows take home about Ksh10,000.
Depending on the TV show, supporting actors are paid between Ksh10,000 and Ksh15,000. Actors without lines get paid Ksh7,000 and those with lines earn Ksh10,000. Extras who don’t have lines will earn Ksh2,000 and, if lucky, they will pocket Ksh5,000.
Film Actors
Kenya is not known for its film industry. This has been attributed to the expenses involved in producing films and lack of government interest in growing the multi-billion industry. And how much do actors earn in the few locally produced movies?
Leading A-list movie actors’ pocket Ksh100,000. Supporting cast take home Ksh70,000 per movie. Peripheral actors with lines earn Ksh15,000 while those without are paid Ksh2,000.
But the film industry is showing signs of growth especially now that netflix is allowing local productions.
Exposure
While the pay is not as good if compared to other countries, actors can easily become brand ambassadors especially if they are good. Papa Shirandula appeared in ads that fetched him million of shillings. Other actors making millions from adverts include David Mwambili, who plays Inspekta Mwala in the sitcom by the same name.