SRC gives huge pay rise to MPs and county bosses

Taxpayers will pay more than Sh785 million annually to MPs and county top dogs in a new salary structure proposed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The pay rise for the state of

ficers comes as the country is grappling with a ballooning wage bill with little left over for development.

The SRC on Tuesday sought public views on the changes, which will become effective once gazetted by the commission.

Economist Abraham Ruto, Kenya country manager of the international Budget Partnership, said the pay rises would have little impact on the wage bill.

It seems like a lot of money, but he said not that many officials are getting pay rises. The real issue, he said, is allowances and money outside salaries. Not everyone gets a pay rise, many salaries are maintained. In one case, there's a Sh1 increment per month for MCAs.

In the proposed remuneration and benefits structure, MPs’ gross salary would rise to Sh710,000 per month from the current Sh621,250.

Each of the 416 MPs and senators will be paid an additional Sh88,750. The new pay will push the MPs' wage bill to Sh3.5 billion from the current Sh3.1 billion.

MPs earn an average of Sh1 million a month — including numerous allowances such as mileage, committee sitting allowance, daily subsistence allowance and airtime. 

MPs, however, would lose their allowances for attending plenary sessions, their job.

For committees, though, the sitting allowances rate has increased two-fold. It is proposed the chairpersons shall be paid Sh15,000 per sitting – the maximum of Sh240,000 per month.

Committee chairpersons currently earn Sh10,000 per sitting. 

Committee vice chairpersons would be paid Sh12,000 per sitting – to a maximum of Sh192,000. Members would be paid Sh7,500 per sitting but capped at Sh120,000 per month.

Currently committee vice chairpersons earn Sh8,000, while ordinary members take home Sh5,000.

In the proposed deal, county assembly speakers' pay would increase by Sh144,375 per month from the current Sh259,875.

This means the 47 county speakers will each take home Sh404,250 per month.

This would translate to an increase of Sh81.4 million annually for all the devolved units. 

Their deputies, on the other hand, are set to have their pay reduced from Sh216,000 per month to Sh210,000.

Members of County Executive Committees (CECs) are poised for a raise of Sh45,000 per month.

They would earn Sh306,250 in the structure under review.

Factoring a maximum of 10 CECs per county, the pay would increase by Sh261.6 million annually for the 47 devolved units.

The pay for National Assembly and Senate speakers would be increased upwards by Sh5,000.

Speakers will  earn Sh1.16 million a month.

Deputy speakers would earn Sh4,000 above the  current Sh924,000.

Leaders of the majority and minority in the bicameral Parliament will Sh3,000 a month more from the current Sh765,000.

Generally, the SRC has proposed to retain the pay for most state officers, with other cadres set to lose the hefty allowances they have always enjoyed.

SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said there would be no upward review owing to the pressure on the exchequer caused by Covid-19.

“The SRC has advised the national and county governments that there will be no review of the basic salary structures, allowances and benefits paid in the public service in the financial year 2021-22 to 2022-23,” the SRC boss said an introduction to the proposed pay structure.

She cited the government’s financial constraints, the current wage bill ratios, and the need to release resources for investment in priority areas.

SRC argues that the monies saved from the adjustments would be used to “jump-start the economy that has been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic".

A number of allowances paid to state officers have also been reduced to make the wage bill manageable.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s successor has his salary retained at Sh1.4 million per month, and that of DP at Sh1.2 million.

Cabinet Secretaries would continue to earn Sh924,000 per month, as would the Attorney General and Secretary to the Cabinet.

The monthly consolidated remuneration of Principal Secretaries, the NIS director and Inspector General of Police would be maintained at Sh765,188.

Deputy IGs – General Kenya Police and Administration Police Service – will retain monthly pay atSh621,250.

The Chief Justice will receive a starting salary of Sh990,000 — to peak at Sh1.3 million — while that of the Deputy Chief Justice would range from Sh821,333 to Sh1.2 million.

Judges of the Supreme Court have their pay fixed at a minimum of  Sh792,000 and a maximum of Sh1.2 million, while Appeal Court judges would be paid a minimum of Sh689,000 per month.

Members of county assemblies would earn Sh1 more a month, Sh144,376 per month, above the current Sh144,375.

MCAs serving as deputy speakers of county assemblies would be paid a gross of Sh210,000.

The structure retains governors' pay at Sh924,000, deputy governor's pay at Sh621,250.

“The proposed monthly consolidated remuneration package is fixed for the term of the office of the state officer in the executive of the county governments unless otherwise reviewed and set by the SRC,” chairperson Mengich said.

The commission said the proposed monthly consolidated remuneration package is a consolidated pay and includes house allowances in line with the Employment Act, 2007.

“For purposes of gratuity, pension and insurance, the annual pensionable emolument is computed based on 60 per cent of the monthly consolidated remuneration package," she said.

In the new structure, the Auditor General and IEBC chairperson will retain their pay of Sh924,000, whereas the DPP and Controller of Budget will have their pay capped at Sh765,188.

Also in the category of DPP and COB are the IEBC deputy chairperson, members of the IEBC (commissioners), TSC, PSC, CRA, National Police Service Commission (NPSC), and the SRC.

The same pay range would apply to chairpersons of KNCHR, NCIC, NLC, CAJ (Ombudsman), National Gender Equality Commission (NGEC), Ipoa, and the Intergovernmental Technical Committee (IGRTC).

CEOs of the IEBC, TSC, PSC, CRA, NPSC and EACC would be entitled to a gross monthly pay of Sh650,000, the same for vice chairs of the Parliamentary Service Commission, TSC, PSC, NPSC, SRC, NCIC, NLC, IPOA, NGEC, IGTRC, and KNCHR.

The EACC chairperson’s pay has been capped at Sh365,000 – being a part-time job — while the vice chairpersons  of the anti-graft agency and the JSC, would earn Sh310,000.

SRC says no commuter allowances would be paid to the various categories of state officers apart from vice chairpersons  and members of part-time commissions at Sh30,000 per month.

MCAs shall be paid committees sitting allowances at Sh6,500 for chairman, capped at Sh104,000 per month; Sh5,200 for members capped at Sh83,200; and Sh3,000 for members capped at Sh62,000.

Chairpersons of part-time commissions would be paid Sh50,000 per sitting, a maximum  of Sh400,000 monthly, while vice chairpersons and members would be entitled to Sh40,000 per sitting.

For MPs, mileage claims shall be reimbursed at one return journey per week from Nairobi to their constituency offices at a rate of Sh116.63 per kilometre using a car with engine capacity of less than 3,000cc.

“SRC shall provide zoned distances to guide the claiming of reimbursable mileage allowance,” the commission said, indicating MCAs would claim mileage at Sh77.4 per kilometre.

Indicative of expensive cars, The SRC plans to provide lawmakers with a car maintenance allowance of Sh356,525 per month, and Sh30,167 for MCAs.

PSs would earn Sh100,000 as a special responsibility allowance per month for added tasks over and above their duties, Sh150,000 for MPs, and Sh150,000 for judges.

The SRC seeks to bar state officers from earning cash from unpaid leave, setting the annual leave allowances at Sh50,000 for national executives, Sh50,000 for judges, Sh10,000 for CECs, and Sh50,000 for full-time commissioners.

Medical benefits remain unchanged with all cadres set to get Sh10 million for in-patient coverage, apart from deputy governors and magistrates who will get Sh5 million and Sh4 million, respectively.

In the new package, speakers of the National Assembly and Senate, as well as the leadership, would be provided with an official car with engine capacity of not more than 3000cc.

The same would apply to the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, and judges as well as governors, members of full-time constitutional commissions and chairpersons of part-time commissions.

MPs would be provided with a motor vehicle reimbursement of Sh7.5 million for an official car with engine capacity not exceeding 3000cc to undertake official duties as MP.

“The motor vehicle reimbursement is payable once in a parliamentary term and is inclusive of all taxes,” the SRC said.

MCAs would be provided with motor vehicle reimbursement of Sh2,212,000 payable once for an official car based on engine capacity not exceeding 1800cc to undertake official duties.

(Edited by V. Graham)