A Kenyan CV is usually two to three pages in English. It lists personal details, a short profile, education with your degree class and KCSE mean grade, professional qualifications, work experience, skills and referees, often three. Public-service adverts may also ask for Chapter Six clearance certificates, usually from shortlisted or successful candidates rather than at the first application.
These are common practices, not legal rules, and employers differ. Every example is fictional; replace each [bracketed] detail with your own, and follow the job posting when it asks for something specific.
What a Kenyan CV usually includes
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Personal details | Name, +254 phone, email, town. ID number and date of birth are often requested on public-service forms |
| Profile | Three lines: role, years of experience and your strongest result |
| Education | Degree with class (for example Second Class Honours, Upper Division), diploma, then KCSE year and mean grade |
| Professional qualifications | CPA(K), registration with a professional body, short courses, only if you hold them |
| Work experience | Newest first, with results and the size of what you handled |
| Skills | Software, languages (English, Kiswahili and others) and job-specific skills |
| Referees | Often three: name, position, organisation, phone and email, with their permission |
Sample CV for a job application in Kenya
Kenyan CV sample (fictional)
[Your Name] — [Position applied for]
[+254 phone] · [Email] · [Town]
PROFILE: [Role] with [number] years in [sector], experienced in [task] and [task].
EDUCATION: [Bachelor of ...], [University], [Year] — [Second Class Honours, Upper Division]
KCSE, [School], [Year] — Mean grade [B+]
EXPERIENCE: [Job title], [Organisation], [Town] — [Month Year]–present
• [Task], [for whom], [result with a number you can defend].
SKILLS: [tool], [tool] · LANGUAGES: English, Kiswahili
REFEREES: [Name], [Position], [Organisation], [Phone], [Email] (×3)
Chapter Six clearances for public jobs
Kenyan public-service adverts often list five clearance documents, linked to the leadership and integrity requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution:
- Certificate of good conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
- Tax compliance certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
- Clearance from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
- Clearance from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
- A report from a licensed credit reference bureau (CRB).
Under the Employment (Amendment) Act, 2022, an employer cannot require clearance certificates that you pay for until it has offered you the job. Adverts still list them, so read who must present them and when, and start early: some take days to issue.
CV format in Kenya with no experience
Industrial attachment and internships are real experience. List them with the organisation, dates and two bullets on what you did. The fresh graduate resume example shows how to fill a page without a full-time job.
Kenyan CV sample with no experience (fictional)
[Your Name] — [Position applied for]
[+254 phone] · [Email] · [Town]
PROFILE: [Diploma / Degree] graduate in [field] looking for an entry-level [role]. Completed industrial attachment at [Organisation].
EDUCATION: [Diploma / Bachelor of ...], [Institution], [Year] · KCSE, [School], [Year] — Mean grade [C+]
ATTACHMENT: [Attachee], [Organisation], [Town] — [Month Year]–[Month Year]
• [Task you did], [for whom], [result].
SKILLS: [tool], [tool] · LANGUAGES: English, Kiswahili
REFEREES: [Lecturer or attachment supervisor], [Organisation], [Phone] (×3)
- How many pages should a CV be in Kenya?
- Two pages is common, three with long experience. Keep each bullet short so the reader finds your results quickly.
- Should I include KCPE results?
- Only if you are a school leaver or the advert asks. Once you have KCSE and a degree or diploma, KCPE adds little.
- Do I attach clearance certificates to every application?
- No. Follow the advert. Many ask only shortlisted or successful candidates to present them.
Compare formats elsewhere in Africa in the South Africa CV format and Nigeria CV format guides, and build yours in the CV builder.
