The rate of unemployment continues to rise without signs of coming down.
Additionally, fresh graduates keep on joining the already crowded job market with limited opportunities every year.
Given this, the youth have been advised not to look for jobs but rather to establish jobs for themselves and others.
However, to become a successful entrepreneur in Kenya, you need to have reliable information about underutilized business ideas. Despite the tale of no jobs, several opportunities make Kenya a desirable business destination.
Both the locals and foreigners can capitalize on the opportunities to make a living. Nonetheless, not everyone can make it in this field. Why? Because to succeed you’ll need both capital and patience before the business starts paying.
In this post, I will share with you the best business ideas in Kenya for 2022 and how to go about them.
So let’s dive in.
31 Underutilized Business Ideas In Kenya, You Can Make Money With In 2022
There are several business opportunities in Kenya. In case you’re smart enough, you can build a successful business empire within them and earn you good money. They include:
1. Freelance Writing
Writing online is a vast field that can’t be exhausted and it’s among the best business opportunities in Kenya today. If as a writer you can focus on one or two writing niches, then your chances of succeeding are high.
Freelance writing comprises crafting original and engaging blog posts, articles, business plans, resumes, short stories, e-books, and so on. The good news is that you don’t necessarily need a degree or years of experience to make it as a writer. All you need is good command of a particular language, a laptop, tablet, or even smartphone, and a reliable internet connection.
2. Blogging
Blogging might not be a new idea as such, but it hasn’t been monetized enough in this country. In comparison to the western nations. It is among the best business ideas.
Becoming a blogger has the potential of getting you good money in the comfort of your home. With your blog up and running, you can earn from selling ad space, affiliate marketing, reviewing people’s products, and so on.
3. Creative Arts
The expression of imaginative skills for beauty or emotion is a creative art. It can generate a lot of money, especially when you stand out in whatever you do.
The popular categories within creative arts include visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture work, etc.), graphic arts (painting, drawing, design, and other elements expressed on flat surfaces), plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), decorative art (enamel work), and literature (drama, poetry, stories and so on).
The goodness is that creating art is not restricted to any given field. You can become a creative artist for just about anything you are good at.
4. Software Development
These are lovely times for IT professionals as the demand for their services is so high. Software development is an incredible business opportunity because you can work with corporate firms to develop software. With the right skills, you are better off working as a freelancer and creating your jobs. That way, you will earn more and become popular too.
5. Health and Fitness
Health is one thing people don’t take for granted. Therefore, you can make money in case you decide to turn your health and fitness skills into a business.
For instance, there are limited well-equipped gyms around. If you can get some capital to start a distinctive gym, your business idea will be a success story in a short time. However, you need to have or hire somebody who has the right skills to train people.
6. Children Daycare Center
As long as people continue to look for food to put on the table, they’ll need someone to take care of their children. Because they’re gradually getting tired of house-helps, and how they at times mistreat children in the absence of their parents, they resort to daycare centers. Which can be housed in a small rented room or even in your guest room.
7. Forex Trading
Forex trading looks like the most current frontier for earning money online and is quite beneficial. However, to succeed in it in Kenya, you will have to undergo training first through an agent or reading books.
Forex agents not only train you but also provide you with access to Forex markets through their accounts. Which is a wonderful place to make money. But you should also know some of the risks that may include losing all your money through a wrong prediction.
8. Green House Farming
Ignore those schemes promoting that you should invest your money with them, and they’ll magically double your money through greenhouse farming. Don’t allow your fear of doing the hard work yourself, expose you to scammers.
I’m case you have the necessary capital to start greenhouse farming, it can make you financially stable within a short time. You can grow vegetables, fruits, or any other on-demand crop at the market. It’s among the most profitable and underutilized business opportunities in Kenya.
9. Marketing Business Opportunities
You may be spending a lot of your time on Facebook and other social media platforms. Not knowing that you can earn while interacting with your friends and fans online, making it a decent business to start.
By turning your social media accounts into platforms for advertising other people’s products, you can earn money. For instance, if you have a significant number of followers on Facebook or YouTube, you can simply learn how to activate ads and get paid per every view.
10. Event Planning
You may not understand how rigorous event planning is until you find yourself in a situation where you have to plan a party. No wonder most people start event hosting as a side hustle and end up doing it on a full-time basis. It’s among the best business ideas you can implement.
Many events including birthday parties, graduation ceremonies, religious occasions, funerals, and much more need these services. But, to maximize your profits you’ll first have to buy a few tents and chairs because hiring such items is costly.
11. Interior Design
If the interior design has been your hobby for a long time, you have no business searching for a traditional job. Most developers lack the time or expertise to decorate their acquired properties. Instead, they spend a lot of time on moderately designed properties.
If you can prove your mastery, then the interior design market is looking for your service.
12. Product Recycling
By recycling products, not only will you be protecting the environment but you’ll also be making money from it. Most of the products we use can be recycled and reused. But you find a lot of them disposed of after the first use.
For example, car tires. Many people have made good money by making sandals (locally known as Akala) out of them. So there isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t prosper in this business. IProvided people can be as imaginative as creating boats out of recycled plastics, you can easily curve your niche in this field.
13. Rideshare
You will be forgiven for thinking that small business ideas are for the poor. Car owners can also make extra money without affecting their normal routines using innovative business ideas.
For instance, you can publicize your car as a taxi and pick up passengers while handling your errands. That way, you kill two birds using one stone and get extra cash to use in other endeavors.
14. Entertainment Lounge
There are several entertainment joints, but each is recognized for a special reason. Despite being surged, your lounge will not go dry with a unique service or product to offer.
Entertainment lounges offer many things such as music, drinks, food, and shows. Do a market survey, and you will find a location your entertainment joint can stand out in
15. Cleaning Services
Cleaning services can vary from small-scale to large-scale for corporate customers. This business has to prosper because people need a clean environment to live and work in.
It can be cleaning services for clothing, carpets, sofas, toilets, walls and so on. It beats multiple other business ideas if you wish to be self-employed. Because you will choose your team and even the businesses you want to work with.
16. Sewing and Alteration
If you have sewing abilities, why not start a sewing and substitution business? After all, people will always put on clothes, and your services will not go out of fashion. This profession doesn’t necessarily need special training or a college degree.
All you need is some level of skill to get it up and running. Additionally, you will need to buy the necessary equipment for sewing and alteration. In case your work is outstanding enough to give you constant clients who trust your designs, you will be earning huge profits in no time.
17. Accounting Services
Armed with your accounting skills, offering accounting or bookkeeping services is among the best and underutilized business ideas in Kenya.
But, first, you need to train, become a certified accountant, and earn the necessary orientation to deal with clients effectively.
You can offer to keep your client’s financial records, balance their books of accounts, reconcile their bank statements, and so on.
18. Landscaping Services
The landscaping business idea is for those people that love working hands-on and are good at designing too. Even though you require some skills to start, other landscaping and lawn care jobs are basic.
19. Photography Services
Photography is one of the underutilized business opportunities in Kenya. This profession best suits individuals that love recording special moments. Even though there’s tough competition in the sector, specializing in a niche can win you, multiple clients. For instance, you can create a business within the pet or wedding photography areas.
20. Car Detailing Service
In case you are a detail-oriented person and have a passion for cars, then a car detailing business can suit you. It doesn’t need much capital to start. All you need is some space and the necessary tools. If you set up a good firm and impress your clients, they will pay handsomely for your premium services.
21. Beauty Salon Or Barber Shop
Kenya’s beauty industry has undergone a tremendous transformation in the recent past. More people value their looks, and this is a good business opportunity for you to utilize. If you start a beauty salon, a barbershop, and a beauty spa under one roof you will have all the services that clients love.
22. Non-Profit Organization
People with a passion for helping others can find satisfaction in non-profit establishments. There are many routes you can follow to come up with such an organization. The good thing about it is that you will do something that you love doing and still make money.
23. Tutoring Business
Tutoring is another terrific business opportunity in Kenya. However, you have to be good at what you intend to lecture on, to create a profound connection with your students. Given the prevalence of the internet in Kenya, you can start an online tutoring business. To stand out you’ll have to specialize in one field and showcase your capabilities.
24. Personal Assistant Service
You’re most likely to think that a personal assistant service means that you are employed. But it depends on how you address this underutilized business idea in Kenya.
In case you are good at keeping things in proper order, you can simply start a personal assistant business. Where you teach people these skills and partner with your clients to support their business. This will assure you of great returns during the process.
25. Bakery and Coffee Shop
Interestingly enough, most people love baking and cooking. But it doesn’t click in their minds that they can make money from these two.
You can surely turn this passion into a profitable business. By setting up a bakery, or coffee shop and selling your bread, cakes, doughnuts, and coffee to your clients.
26. Dog Daycare and Pet Grooming
Do you love pets? In case your answer is yes, then either a dog daycare or pet grooming business might be the ideal business for you.
Although it’s not common for Kenyans to rear pets in their households, this practice is becoming popular. And you can’t miss a few people that need your services.
27. Senior Citizens Assistance
Senior citizens assistance among the ripe business opportunities in Kenya. And there are different angles you can start the business from.
For instance, you can help them to run their errands, take them to social occasions they’re invited to attend, and even help them to move around the house.
28. Home-Based Catering
If you strongly believe that you have a knack for cooking, you can come up with a decent home-based catering business. You don’t even need to look for an outlet and pay expensive rental fees.
If you are performing catering services for small businesses, you can comfortably do it by yourself. However, in case you get big clients, you will have to hire a few people for assistance.
29. Niche Staffing Agency
Companies are ever searching for competent people to hire. To achieve this, they depend on the services of recruiting agencies. So, if you set up a niche staffing agency and build a good rapport with these companies, you will be their go-to agency for employees.
30. Travel Planner
Although the travel agent’s time might be passing, some people are still searching for people with a knack for non-traditional travel coordination. And you can use this market gap to set up a travel planning business and make good cash out of it.
31. E-book Writing
Although it might cost you some time and effort to write an informative or engaging e-book, it’s worthwhile. Why? Because it pays off immediately when you start selling the book. And it continues to pay you, for a long time after publishing it.
Additionally, you can even convert your e-book into a printed book. Which will tremendously supplement your income.
To achieve this, you’ll only need a good command of the English language, some skills in the structuring, formatting, and presentation of an e-book. Last but not least, you’ll need a self-publishing platform like KoboCourse or Publish Drive.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of underutilized business ideas you can take advantage of in Kenya. And become your boss, instead of being supervised by a demanding boss. Coupled with unrealistic deadlines.
A handful of these business ideas don’t even need capital for you to start. Therefore, there isn’t a justification as to why you are still unemployed. Simply pick your suitable idea out of these 31 underutilized business ideas, then go ahead and implement it.
Most of the best business investment opportunities in Kenya today are ones dealing with everyday problems solving. So whenever you see a challenge, you should start thinking about what you can innovate to solve it.
If you found this post helpful, it costs you nothing to leave a comment stating so. Or better still to contact me with your writing needs through the link below.
About the Author
Fredrick Musungu is an experienced content writer and copywriter at Liberating Freelance. He helps businesses and individuals to increase their sales through conversion and optimized content online. He’s also a contributing writer at Medium.