SRC makes a U-turn on salary increment for governmet officials

Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has bowed to the pressure from legislators drawn from Azimion and Kenya Kwanza on the gazettement of salary increment for top government officials.

Legislators fired salvos at SRC terming it as insensitive even as the government is facing intensified protests against government officials who are displaying opulence and misusing public finds.

Langata MP Felix Odiwuor alia Jalang’o said the salary increment is going to pit them against members of the public. He termed it as a set up.

“There are things that almost look like a setup! We are in a crisis and SRC is proposing an increment of Sh14,000. Yaani mnataka tupigwe tukufe ndio mfurahi? Mimi sitaki!” he said.

Following outrage from MPs and other leaders, SRC, lead by Chairperson Lyn Mengich announced that they have freezed upward review of salaries after consultation with Treasury citing economic situation in the country.

“In consultation with the Treasury, SRC hereby freezes the upward review of salaries for all State officers, and will review the advice for all other public officers, taking into account the current realities of the economy, and a reduced budget to ensure affordability and fiscal sustainability of the wage bill,” Mengich said.

Earlier, Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot said legistlators must never have their salries increased. His sentiments were echoed by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba who said that government officials should have their salaries reduced not increased.

Read: Caleb Amisi writes to NA clerk declining increment of his salary

This comes at the time the national government is battling to reduce the wage bill from current 46 percent of the taxpayers money.

During the Third National Wage Bill Conference in April 2024, president William Ruto said that the government has deployed several measures to reduce the wage bill to 35 percent.