Nairobi, April 29 -- Salary rises in 2025 surpassed inflation or cost of living measure for the first time in six years despite employers having offered workers a smaller pay increase.

Inflation-adjusted earnings or real wages - a barometer for measuring employees' purchasing power- grew by 2.0 percent last year, marking the first time since 2020 that growth in workers' earnings has surpassed the increase in consumer prices, says the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Workers' real wages had fallen for five consecutive years, including a negative 0.3 percent in 2024.

The positive growth, however, masks the impact of increased statutory deductions-including contributions to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), housing levy ...