Kenya civil servants have threatened to strike next year over the high taxes amid the high cost of living.
Union of Kenya Civil Servants secretary general Tom Odege yesterday said next year, they will strike to push for the reduction of taxes amid high inflation.
“As patriotic Kenyans, we are serving our country as civil servants,” Odege, who is also the Nyatike MP, said.
“But with the current situation of inflation and high taxes workers are not living but surviving.”
He was addressing the press in Nyakweri centre, Nyatike constituency.
More than 70,000 national and county civil servants, as well as other workers, have up to 60 per cent of their salaries being taxed by the government, Odege said.
This diminishes their desire to serve Kenyans, he said.
Odege said the union has tried to seek redress with the government over the matter to no avail, which will force it to call for a strike next year.
“As those in charge of civil servant affairs, we have been forced to the wall,” Odege said.
“The only alternative is to call for a strike, which is the only language the government will understand.”
He criticised President William Ruto for overtaxing workers to bail out the economy, saying it was not a functional idea.
“This is killing the middle class and workers, who should have money to make purchases so that money circulates and the economy is stable,” Odege said.
He said currently, most business and employment have failed as workers have no money to spend, with the bulk of it being hoarded by the government in taxes.
In August last year, the government declared a 7 to 10 per cent increase in civil servants' salaries over a two-year period.
This was announced by Salaries and Remunerations Commission chairperson Lyn Mengich.
“This is inclusive of the existing notch increase, which averages 3 per cent annually,” Mengich said.
“The review covers the entire public service within the context of affordability and fiscal sustainability.”
The increase was aimed at cushioning government workers against an increase in the cost of living.
But Odege downplayed the increase as ineffective, saying the addition also translated to double taxes, which deprived workers more.
“Actually what it did is taking those who were not to be taxed and adding them to higher tax brackets, depleting our payslips more,” he said.
He said value-added tax and other taxes on housing and fuel level have made a mockery of the salary increase, which was meant to help workers.
