Two MPs allied to the Kenya Kwanza government have rejected a proposal by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to increase the salaries of senior state officers.
Last week, the commission released a circular proposing to have the state officers’ salaries increased by 14 percent to cushion them from the high cost of living.
But the MPs, Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu) and Betty Maina (Murang’a woman representative) said they were not in need of a pay rise, especially given the poor state of the economy.
Nyoro said though the commission is independent, MPS have a right to give its views on its decisions.
He said as the chairperson of the budget committee in the national assembly, he understood the status of the economy and the high debt burden that the government is facing.
“As a country, we still have a lot of work to do to reduce our debts and recurrent expenditure that is gobbling a sizeable chuck of our revenue.
“I’d urge SRC that if there is any salary increment they have to do, they must not focus on us as leaders. If they have the funds for it, let them consider teachers, security officers and other government officers who actually deserve the increment”.
Nyoro said after the Kenya Kwanza administration is done stabilizing the economy, the commission can revisit the issue and review senior state officers’ salaries.
“But as of now, I want to humbly decline any increment of my salary because the country is not in the right place to add my salary. Let them add some of the funds to government programmes such as cash transfer, fertilizers subsidy among others."
Maina on her part said the current government adopted a bottom-up economic model that should put more focus on the people at the bottom of the economic pyramid.
“I don’t want my salary increased. Let the commission start with public officers and then go up,” she said.
SRC has defended the move saying the review was meant to be implemented years ago but was halted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chairperson Lyn Mengich said the commission had set a four-part review cycle saying the proposal is for the third phase.
The president however rejected the proposal and instead proposed a seven to 10 percent increment for all civil servants starting July 1, 2023.