Updated 2026-11-13
To write an application letter for a job in Kenya, use the exact job title and reference from the advert, explain why you qualify, and support your claims with relevant work or study examples. Include your contact details, address the correct employer, and submit the letter through the channel specified. If the employer requires a prescribed form or online application instead, follow that process rather than sending a letter alone.
Read the original employer notice before drafting. You can find opportunities through Cazini jobs, but use the employer's instructions to decide what to write and submit.
Extract these details into a working checklist:
Check eligibility before polishing the letter. Parliamentary Service Commission guidance says applicants should not apply unless they possess all qualifications in the advert. A persuasive introduction does not replace a required qualification.
Formal application letter
Use a formal letter when the employer requests one. Include your contact details, date, recipient, subject, salutation, supporting paragraphs and closing. Sign it where the instructions require a signed letter.
Cover letter uploaded with a CV
A cover letter explains your fit for the vacancy while the CV gives your fuller employment and education record. For drafting purposes, an application letter can serve the same purpose, but follow the employer's requested document label and format. Do not submit duplicate letters simply because both terms appear in general careers advice.
Email-body application
If the employer asks you to apply by email with a CV, use the message to identify the vacancy and explain your fit briefly. If a separate application letter is required, attach it and keep the email as a short introduction. Do not assume the email body replaces a requested attachment.
Prescribed form or online application
Complete the required form or online application. Add a letter only if instructed. The letter is supporting material, not a substitute for the employer's application process.
Contact details and recipient
Start with your name, phone number, professional email address and town. Add your postal address if requested or relevant to the submission. Then include the date and the recipient's name or office and employer.
Copy the addressee from the advert. If none is given, use “Dear Hiring Manager” rather than guessing a name.
Subject and opening
Use a clear subject:
> RE: APPLICATION FOR [EXACT JOB TITLE] - [VACANCY REFERENCE]
Omit the reference placeholder if the employer has not supplied a reference. In the opening, name the vacancy and state the qualification or experience that makes you relevant. Avoid opening with a long account of needing employment.
Evidence of suitability
Match the advert's requirements to things you have actually done. The Public Service Commission's PSC.2 form asks for relevant abilities, skills, experience, recent achievements and reasons for applying. Use that as a practical model for your evidence paragraph.
For a records role, replace “I am organised” with a truthful example such as:
> During my attachment, I filed incoming documents, updated the records register and helped colleagues retrieve requested files.
For customer service, describe enquiries you handled and how you resolved or escalated them. For an NGO role, connect relevant community work, reporting or programme support to the advertised duties. Include results where you can substantiate them, not invented achievements.
Motivation and closing
Explain why this particular role fits your background. Refer to the advertised work rather than praising the employer with generic language.
Close by expressing interest in discussing your suitability and naming only the documents you have actually included. Use “Yours sincerely” after a named salutation or “Yours faithfully” after a general one, followed by your name.
This is an illustrative template, not a statement of qualifications. Replace the bracketed text and use the attachment example only if it describes your experience.
> [Your full name] > [Phone number] | [Email address] > [Town] > [Date] > > [Recipient's name or office] > [Employer name] > [Employer address, if needed] > > Dear Hiring Manager, > > RE: APPLICATION FOR [JOB TITLE] - [REFERENCE, IF PROVIDED] > > I am applying for the [job title] position advertised through [source]. I hold [relevant qualification] from [institution], and my experience in [attachment, project or volunteer activity] has prepared me for the advertised duties in [relevant area]. > > During my attachment at [organisation], I maintained records, responded to routine enquiries and referred unresolved requests to my supervisor. This work developed my ability to organise information, communicate clearly and follow established procedures. > > I am particularly interested in this vacancy because [specific connection between the advertised work and your background]. I would bring [relevant skill], demonstrated through [brief, truthful example]. > > I have included [documents requested in the advert]. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my suitability and can be reached using the contact details above. > > Yours faithfully, > [Your full name]
If you have no attachment experience, use a relevant course project, practical assignment or volunteer responsibility. Explain your own contribution rather than taking credit for an entire group's work. Do not describe unpaid learning experience as paid employment.
Use the employer's exact subject-line instruction. If none is supplied, a clear option is:
> Application for [Job Title] - [Reference, if provided] - [Your Name]
When attaching a requested letter and CV, keep the message direct:
> Dear Hiring Manager, > > Please find attached my application letter and CV for the [job title] vacancy, reference [reference]. My background in [relevant area] matches the advertised requirement for [specific skill or qualification]. > > Thank you for considering my application. > > Kind regards, > [Name] > [Phone number]
Use descriptive filenames such as `YourName_ApplicationLetter` and `YourName_CV`, with the requested file extension. Open the attachments before sending to check that they are readable and belong to the correct application.
For a speculative application, say you are enquiring about opportunities in a named function. Do not invent a vacancy reference or suggest you are responding to an advert that does not exist.
Public-sector employers can use different processes. When browsing county government vacancies, read the particular county's notice rather than assuming the national Public Service Commission process applies.
For PSCIMS online applications, applicants must provide personal details, professional and academic qualifications, experience, professional-body membership, referees and other relevant information before submitting. Incomplete applications are not considered. Use the official PSCIMS jobs page listed under Sources and follow the instructions for the vacancy.
Attachment rules also differ. The PSC.2 form says not to attach copies of certificates and testimonials. Parliamentary Service Commission guidance requires its prescribed form together with the other documents required by the advert. Do not reuse an old application bundle without checking the current instructions.
Kenya's Data Protection Act includes data-minimisation and security principles. As a practical precaution, keep the letter focused on qualifications and contact details rather than volunteering marital status, religion, health information or family circumstances. Supply additional sensitive information only where legitimately requested through a verified process.
Recruitment fees are fraud. Do not pay anyone for a job, shortlisting or a “slot”. The Public Service Commission states that its services, including job placements, are free and warns about fraudsters seeking money for shortlisting, appointment or promotion. Verify suspicious requests through the employer's official channel, not through contact details supplied only by the person requesting payment. See Cazini's ethical hiring guidance.
Before submitting, check the employer name, vacancy reference, evidence, required attachments and destination. Follow the advert's deadline and any stated time zone. Keep the sent email or any acknowledgement provided by the application process.
Keep it brief enough for the reader to identify the vacancy, your relevant qualifications and your evidence quickly. Do not repeat your whole CV or add unrelated personal history. Follow any length limit stated in the advert.
Use the office or role named in the advert, such as Human Resource Manager, and address the letter to that role. If the advert gives no addressee, use Dear Hiring Manager. Do not guess a person's name or title.
Yes, if the advert provides one. Copy it exactly into the letter's subject line and use it in the email subject wherever the employer instructs. Check it against the original notice before submitting.
Attach only the documents required by the advert, prescribed form or portal instructions. The Public Service Commission's PSC.2 form specifically says not to attach copies of certificates and testimonials. Do not send an ID copy or sensitive records automatically with a letter.
Only if the advert or application instructions require it. For PSCIMS applications, you must provide the required personal, qualification, experience, professional-membership, referee and other relevant information before submitting. A separate letter cannot substitute for completing the application, and incomplete applications are not considered.