President William Ruto stated on Friday, June 30, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre that it was necessary to protect civil servants from the challenging economic climate.
“I am aware that the SRC has proposed raising the pay for many cadres of public employees, including government officials. Therefore, we have decided that from tomorrow, the pay of our teachers, police officers, military personnel, and government employees will be increased by 7% to 10%,” Ruto remarked during the unveiling of the new e-citizen platform.
Additionally, the president requested that SRC postpone any salary adjustments for State authorities, such as himself, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, the Cabinet, and Principal Secretaries, stating that those matters may wait.
Let’s wait a little longer, please; pay will not change for state officers like myself, my deputy, ministers, chief secretaries, and those other high officials, added Ruto.
With effect from July 1, the SRC had suggested raising Ruto’s salary from his current Ksh1,443,750 to Ksh1,546,875 and his deputy’s from Ksh1,227,188 to Ksh1,367,438.
The Attorney General, the Head of the Public Service, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, the Inspector-General, the Director General of the National Intelligence Service, and the Secretary to the Cabinet were among the other State officers who were also scheduled to receive the increase, which was to be a 7% pay raise.
The Head of State, however, rejected the plan, arguing that it was necessary to achieve pay parity before implementing the raise.
“ There is need to close the gap between all of us who work for the people of Kenya, so I’ve told the SRC to provide us international best practices. Because we all reside in the same nation, it is not possible for the wealthy to make 100 times as much as the poor.” Ruto said.
The wage increase will have to wait, according to the president, until the remuneration committee confirms that the nation has reached the compression formula barrier.
Civil officials who had endured salary delays earlier this year can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the government claimed that it was in a financial bind and had nowhere to turn for money.
“I am aware that our delayed salaries were a problem. Not only are our salaries being paid late for the first time, but our obligations are also extraordinarily large. President Ruto remarked, “I want to reassure the nation that is being managed.”
