President William Ruto Wednesday ordered the National Treasury to review the gazette notice by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) increasing the salaries of state officers.
Ruto said that all arms of government must live within their means.
“In light of the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 and the fiscal constraints expected this financial year, this is a time, more than ever before, for the Executive and all arms of government to live within their means.”
The salary increments took effect July 1, 2024.
The new gazetted remuneration would see the salaries and benefits for State officers in the Executive of the National Government, the Senate the National Assembly, county governments and independent commissions rise.
While the salaries of the President and his deputy would remain unchanged and above Sh1 million, that of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and other Cabinet Secretaries will increase to Sh990,000 from Sh957,000.
Principal Secretaries, Inspector General and Director General NIS will now earn Sh819,844 up from Sh792,519 a month.
Deputy Inspector General Kenya Police and Administration police, the Director of Criminal Investigations will earn Sh684,233 from Sh652,742 previously.
Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate will each take home Sh1,208,362 monthly up from Sh1,185,327.
Deputy Speakers will now take home Sh966,690 monthly, while Majority and minority leaders will take Sh800,019.
Members of the National Assembly and the Senate will also take Sh739,600 as gross salary, up from Sh725,502.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria had asked the SRC to degazette the implementation of a new salary structure.
This comes against the backdrop of ongoing protests against increased taxes and huge wage bill.
The protests have left at least 40 people dead and more than 400 wounded.
On July 3, Kuria wrote to the commission citing the notice on Remuneration and Benefits of State Officers in both National and County Governments.
The notice is to be implemented in the Financial Year 2024/2025 with effect from July 1, 2024.
“However, Irefer to the Resolutions of the Third National Wage Bil Conference held on 15-17th April 2024 to reduce the wage bill to 35 percent of revenue as provided in the Public Finance Management Act 2012 and the prevailing austerity measures announced by H.E the President occasioned by the withdrawal of the Finance Bil 2024.”
“I reiterate my observations during the Conference that it is not sustainable to have 900,000 public servants from both levels of Government consume Sh1.1trillion annually, which is equivalent to 47 percent of national revenues, leaving the rest of 54 milion Kenyans with 53 percent, with debt servicing and development to cater for, among other expenditure,” he said.
He said just as now, that this is more of a moral and ethical issue than an economic issue.
“The PFM Act, 2012 provides that Kenya’s public Wage bil should not exceed 35 percent of the national budget.”
“Our current trajectory indicates a continual rise in expenditure on salaries, allowances, and benefits for public servants, placing immense strain on our national finances.
This is not a challenge we can afford to ignore. Reducing the public wage bil requires a multifaceted approach, one that balances fiscal prudence with a commitment to fair compensation for our public servants.”
He said as the Cabinet Secretary responsible for Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management he declines to implement the gazette notice on increased salaries as applies to the Executive arm of National Government and urge the Commission to degazette the implementation of the new salary structure, ni its entirety, across al levels of Government.
“I urge Salaries and Remuneration Commission and other institutions in public sector on the need to make sacrifices that we expect other Kenyans to make.”
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