The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has started the review of salaries for State officers that could see top earners like MPs, governors and Cabinet secretaries take a pay cut.
The commission yesterday said it was reviewing the pay and allowances structure for the State officers to cover the next five years after the August elections.
This comes days after President Uhuru Kenyatta informed the nation that SRC had shared a report calling for lower salaries for senior state officers and elected officials from MCA up to the President.
SRC has now called for public views to back up its recommendations in line with the constitution.
“The commission is in the process of reviewing the current State officers’ remuneration and benefits structure in readiness for implementation beginning August 2017,” the SRC said in a notice in the dailies and invited Kenyans’ views on the new pay structure for the 2017-2022 period.
Kenya’s wage bill stands at Sh627 billion annually, equivalent to 50 per cent of tax collections. There is pressure to cut the wage bill and free resources to development projects that ultimately will rev up job growth.
Most Kenyans view elected leaders, in particular, as undeserving of the huge salaries and perks they draw monthly from public coffers.
SRC’s current pay structure came into force in March 2013 and entitles the President to a salary range of between Sh1.23 million (entry level) and a maximum pay of Sh1.65 million monthly.
The deputy President is entitled to a monthly pay of between Sh1.05 million and Sh1.4 million.
Though MPs are entitled to a pay range of between Sh532,500 and Sh710,000 a month, they enjoy multiple perks like sitting and travel allowances, pushing their monthly take home pay to over Sh1.3 million.
MCAs enjoy a basic pay of between Sh123, 750 and Sh165, 000, but perks push the total pay to about Sh300, 000.
Other offices lined up for salary adjustment are MCAs, Chief Justice, Cabinet and Principal Secretaries, Attorney General, High Court and Supreme Court judges.
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Credit: Business Daily
