Physiotherapist
Treats physical injuries, disabilities and movement disorders through exercise, manual therapy and electrotherapy. Helps patients recover mobility and manage pain after injury, surgery or illness.
- AI exposure
- 12 of 100, low exposure
- Hiring trend
- Rising
- Hiring rate
- 55%
The role
What the work is, what it pays, and what it costs you.
At a glance
- Remote friendly
- No
- Freelance potential
- High
- Time to senior
- 7 years
A day in the role
Assesses a post-surgery patient's mobility, designs a rehabilitation programme, performs manual therapy on a sports injury, teaches therapeutic exercises, and documents patient progress.
What it pays
Kenyan market, per month- Entry
- KES 40,000-75,000
- Mid
- KES 85,000-170,000
- Senior
- KES 200,000-420,000
Exposure
How much of this a machine can already do, and how that was worked out.
Where this rating sits
1,516 rated careersRated above 5% of the 1,516 careers in the catalogue, which averages 43. Inside health sciences the mean is 25, across 137 careers.
Named task by task
Already automated
- AI-powered exercise programme generation
- Automated movement analysis
- Generating patient progress reports
- AI-assisted gait analysis
Still human
- Assessing patient physical conditions
- Designing and delivering treatment programmes
- Performing manual therapy and mobilisation
- Teaching therapeutic exercises
- Monitoring patient progress
- Educating patients on injury prevention
Task counts
- Displacing
- Minimal — physiotherapy requires hands-on treatment
- Augmenting
- AI gait analysis improves assessment
- Creating
- AI-assisted rehabilitation devices create new roles
Sources
Behind the rating- KPA
- Kenya health sector
- WEF Future of Jobs 2023
Getting in
The routes into the role and what each one asks for.
What to study
8 courses- Diploma in Human BiosciencesKsh 34,920a year
- Certificate in Health Services SupportKsh 50,500a year
- Certificate in HIV/AIDS ManagementKsh 63,290a year
- Artisan in Community HealthKsh 67,189a year
- Certificate in Health Records and ITKsh 67,189a year
- Certificate in Science Laboratory TechnicianKsh 67,189a year
- Certificate in Science Laboratory TechnologyKsh 67,189a year
- Craft in School Laboratory TechnicianKsh 67,189a year
How people get in
BSc Physiotherapy
4 yearsVery high cost
BSc PT from JKUAT, Moi University or KMTC
Diploma in Physiotherapy (KMTC)
3 yearsHigh cost
Diploma from Kenya Medical Training College
Who hires
- Kenyatta National Hospital
- Aga Khan Hospital
- Sports Teams
- Rehabilitation Centres
- Private Clinics
Common misconceptions
Physiotherapy is just massage
It involves anatomy, biomechanics, exercise science, electrotherapy and clinical reasoning — physiotherapists treat complex movement disorders and injuries.
What happens next
How the role changes from here, and where it leads.
Growth outlook
- Net demand change
- +15%
- Over
- 2026-2028
- Drivers
- Sports sector growth,Non-communicable diseases,Road accident rehabilitation
- Headwinds
- Limited training capacity,Cost barriers for private care
What to learn
- AI movement analysis tools
- Tele-rehabilitation platforms
- Robotic rehabilitation devices
Related careers
Kenyan market notes
Physiotherapy is in high demand — sports injuries, post-surgical rehab, stroke rehabilitation, road accident recovery. KNH, Aga Khan, Nairobi Hospital employ physiotherapists. Sports teams (KPL, rugby) need physios. KMTC trains diploma, JKUAT and Moi train BSc. KPA regulates the profession. High freelance potential — private practice. Salary: entry KES 40,000-75,000, mid KES 85,000-170,000, senior KES 200,000-420,000+ (private practice can earn more).
Further reading
This role is rated 12 out of 100 today. Save it and the app keeps that number, then tells you by how much it has moved when the record is next reviewed.