Members of Parliament have endorsed new salary regulations designed to rein in Kenya’s rapidly rising public wage bill and address long-standing inconsistencies in how State employees are remunerated.
The National Assembly has approved the Draft Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) Regulations, 2025, effectively strengthening the SRC’s mandate to standardise pay structures, control allowances, and align public sector compensation with the country’s fiscal capacity.
The decision follows recommendations from the House Committee on Delegated Legislation. Committee chair Samuel Chepkong’a told MPs that earlier legal and procedural shortcomings had been rectified, clearing the way for implementation after previous versions failed to pass.
At the core of the reforms is an effort to dismantle what lawmakers described as a fragmented and opaque salary system that has contributed to inequality and placed pressure on public finances.
Chepkong’a maintained that the framework meets constitutional requirements and is anchored in enabling legislation, arguing that it promotes fairness, accountability and transparency in public pay.
The new regulations introduce formal job evaluations, harmonised salary scales and stricter oversight of allowances, which have historically inflated public sector compensation.
Mathare MP Anthony Oluoch welcomed the move, noting that it brings much-needed structure and legal clarity to remuneration decisions. Nyando MP Jared Okello echoed this view, saying the reforms would help eliminate persistent disparities and create predictability in public pay.
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Nominated MP Esther Passaris, while supportive, urged caution, warning that fiscal discipline should not come at the expense of employee morale or service delivery.
The reforms also mark the resolution of a long-running institutional standoff between the SRC and several government bodies, including the Teachers Service Commission, Public Service Commission and Judiciary, which previously stalled similar efforts in 2022 over consultation concerns.
Under the new framework, the SRC gains expanded authority to enforce uniform pay systems across State agencies, regulate benefits, synchronise salary reviews with the national budget cycle, and ensure overall wage sustainability.
