
Kenya plans to hike the country’s minimum wage by 12% immediately.
President Uhuru Kenyatta who disclosed this on Sunday said the hike is to help workers cope with a surge in consumer prices, driven in part by the war in Ukraine.
“There is a compelling case to review the minimum wage so as to cushion our workers against further erosion of their purchasing power,” a statement issued by the president’s office quoted him as saying at Labour Day celebrations in the capital Nairobi.
The hike was necessary because the minimum wage had not been reviewed in three years and the cost of living has increased, he added.
Kenya’s current minimum wage is 13,500 Kenyan shillings ($116.68) per month.
Inflation in the east African country rose to 6.47% year-on-year last month from 5.56% in March, the statistics office said.