Nairobi, June 4 -- Businesses in Kenya shed jobs in May for the first time in 15 months as weakening customer demand and rising operating costs forced firms to lay off workers, signalling fresh strains within the private sector.

Stanbic Bank Kenya's monthly purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the private sector shows that companies scaled back staffing after a prolonged hiring streak, a shift in labour market trends that had remained resilient through much of the past year.

The slowdown points to growing caution among employers as sales weaken, while operating expenses rise sharply, raising concerns that businesses may increasingly prioritise cost controls over workforce expansion in the coming months.

"Private sector businesses in Ke...