diff --git a/src/os/linux/linux_sigar.c b/src/os/linux/linux_sigar.c
index 2160232e..9860fb60 100644
--- a/src/os/linux/linux_sigar.c
+++ b/src/os/linux/linux_sigar.c
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ static SIGAR_INLINE sigar_uint64_t sigar_meminfo(char *buffer,
 
 int sigar_mem_get(sigar_t *sigar, sigar_mem_t *mem)
 {
-    sigar_uint64_t buffer, cached;
+    sigar_uint64_t buffers, cached, kern;
     char buffer[BUFSIZ];
 
     int status = sigar_file2str(PROC_MEMINFO,
@@ -247,11 +247,12 @@ int sigar_mem_get(sigar_t *sigar, sigar_mem_t *mem)
     mem->free   = sigar_meminfo(buffer, MEMINFO_PARAM("MemFree"));
     mem->used   = mem->total - mem->free;
 
-    buffer = sigar_meminfo(buffer, MEMINFO_PARAM("Buffers"));
-    cached = sigar_meminfo(buffer, MEMINFO_PARAM("Cached"));
+    buffers = sigar_meminfo(buffer, MEMINFO_PARAM("Buffers"));
+    cached  = sigar_meminfo(buffer, MEMINFO_PARAM("Cached"));
 
-    mem->actual_free = mem->free;
-    mem->actual_used = mem->used;
+    kern = buffers + cached;
+    mem->actual_free = mem->free + kern;
+    mem->actual_used = mem->used - kern;
 
     mem->shared = 0; /* XXX where did this go in 2.6?? */