State payroll jumps Sh141bn in nine months

Audience at Bomas of Kenya during the Third National Wage Bill Conference, 2024, attended by President William Ruto on April 17, 2024.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Spending on salaries and wages jumped by Sh140.6 billion in the nine months ending March 2026, underlining a reversal of the government’s austerity drive and exposing growing pressure from an expanding public payroll despite deepening fiscal strain.

Fresh Treasury data shows the national government’s expenditure on salaries and wages rose to Sh576.7 billion in the July 2025-March period from Sh436.1 billion a year earlier, a steep 32.24 percent jump.

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