High allowances paid to senior public servants have made the government a lucrative and preferred employer, findings of a study by Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) show.
The findings, released on Thursday at a Nairobi hotel, said the government being a preferred employer by many candidates has created a loophole for exacerbating corruption.
“The findings of the study show that up to 70 per cent of gross public servants' pay comes from allowances,” the report by KHRC said.
KHRC said the absence of a policy framework to guide the management of allowances has given room for public institutions to pay stipends in an uncontrolled manner leading to disparities in eligibility, justification, modes, and rates.
The study also observed that whereas it is difficult to increase basic salaries due to their effect on other sectors and pensions, public service employers introduce allowances as an alternative method of employee compensation.
“Consequently, there has been a rise in expenditure on allowances, hence affecting the public service wage bill,” the report added.
KHRC released the report after surveying the independence of Constitutional Commissions and Independent Offices (CCIOs).
The survey focused on four independent fiscal institutions under Chapter 15, namely the Office of the Controller of Budget (OCOB), the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).
SRC was put on the spot for disparities in the remuneration of public officers.
KHRC noted that concerns from the respondents included the vast disparities in remunerations, denoting that over 80 per cent of civil servants are remunerated below par.
“How can one explain how a secretarial post with a diploma as the minimum academic qualification at Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) attracts more salary than a master’s degree holder in the civil service?"
"Why does an engineer at National Water and Pipeline Conservation earn much more than a similar engineer in the Ministry of Water and Irrigation? Why would a receptionist in the Judiciary earn more than a District head in the civil service?” the report added.
SRC was established by the Constitution to harmonise salaries and benefits of public officers, including elected officials, civil servants, and other government employees, within the context of fairness and merit towards effective public administration and fiscal responsibility.
The commission’s focus and expected outcomes are to ensure equitable compensation to public servants while ensuring the general wage bill is fiscally sustainable.
It is mandated to institute strategic actions to ensure that public settlement is fair, competitive, and affordable and that resources are utilised optimally.
SRC’s role involves setting a new dawn in the management of salaries and benefits in the public service, which since independence had remained unchecked.
Before, remuneration and benefits for public workers were characterised by schemes of service that automatically awarded public service employees with salary raises and promotions based on years of service and not on productivity and performance.
The study further cited political interference in the appointment of SRC commissioners.
“The study findings show that political interference in the appointment of the SRC chairperson is a persistent problem, often taking the form of pressure from political leaders and parties to appoint individuals who are politically loyal or sympathetic to the ruling party, as opposed to candidates with merit,” the report added.
The study adopted a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative participatory approaches encompassing a secondary review of key policy, regulatory, and legislative frameworks of Independent Fiscal Institutions.
A qualitative approach was employed to collect non-numerical data on functional and administrative independence with norms and standards in service delivery observed as part of qualitative data for some functions and mandates of Independent Fiscal Institutions (IFIs).
The tools for qualitative data included in-depth interviews and key informant interviews.
