- He said if it means elected leaders taking a pay cut from their salaries they have no option but to comply with it.
- He also vowed to reject any move to increase the salaries of elected leaders.
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Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot has expressed concerns over what he termed as silence by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission even as the debate on public expenditure continues.
Cheruiyot said the commission ought to come out and provide suggestions on how the country can navigate the current financial situation, especially reducing wages and salaries from 46 per cent to the mandatory 35 per cent.
“SRC has been silent as this whole debate has been raging. Silence is not an option anymore Mr Speaker. They have to speak and tell us what to do,” he said.
"If it means elected leaders taking a pay cut from their salaries they have no option but to comply with it."
He made the remarks during a special motion to discuss the current state of affairs in the country.
Responding to reports on SRC's yearly review of salaries for public officers as contained in some sections of the media, Cheruiyot gave a clearer indication that as leaders they will reject it.
“I saw that being reported or misreported that we are going to earn more and SRC continues to be silent over it but we must make a resolution and say we reject in light of the current financial situation,” he noted.
He, however, noted that even if the highest earners were to take a shave on their salaries, this was not enough.
Cheruiyot said there was a need to relook into the whole matter and ensure all the wastage was addressed.
He noted that it was unfortunate that a meagre 10 per cent of public officers earn over Sh100,000.
Noting as public officers, they must lead by example, he wondered why they have had to travel outside Parliament to go and adopt a particular report instead of doing it in an office.
“Why is it that people cannot think being in public offices on Friday that they must be in Naivasha or Kisumu? I don’t think there is a better correlation between consideration of a tender document and an evaluation exercise that comes when you leave Nairobi,” he remarked.
“These are extraordinary times Mr Speaker.”