How Public Servants Are Getting Poorer – New Report

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;font-size: 18pt">Public servants are earning more on paper than they did five years ago, but their actual purchasing power has declined sharply as inflation continues to outpace salary growth, new data from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) shows.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;font-size: 14pt">According to SRC’s Wage Bill Bulletin, based on KNBS Economic Survey 2026 data, public servants' real earnings have fallen despite nominal pay increases.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;font-size: 14pt">The bulletin shows that average monthly nominal earnings rose to Sh72,856 in 2025, but average monthly real earnings, which account for inflation, fell significantly over the same period.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;font-size: 14pt">Real earnings stood at Sh59,623 in the 2020/21 financial year before declining to Sh56,546 in 2021/22, Sh52,156 in 2022/23, Sh51,191 in 2023/24 and Sh50,046 in 2024/25.</span></p>