Three days after President William Ruto's Labour Day announcement of a 12% wage increase for all workers and 15% minimum wage hike for agricultural sector employees, workers must wait for legal steps before changes take effect in payslips.
Following President William Ruto's announcement on May 1, 2026, during Labour Day celebrations—detailed in our earlier coverage—employees anticipating updates to May payslips will be disappointed.
The directive signals government intent but requires formal publication in the Kenya Gazette to become legally binding. Post-gazettement, employers and labour unions must negotiate implementation details, such as whether the 12% applies to basic salary, allowances, or both.
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli emphasized over the weekend that this is a general wage hike for all Kenyan workers, not merely a minimum wage adjustment. “The President was clear. This is a general wage increase for all Kenyan workers. It is not restricted to minimum wage earners as some employers are suggesting,” Atwoli said. He called on the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) to accept it as such.
