Despite the cost of paying salaries rising to more than Sh1.1 trillion in a recent analysis, huge differences exist between the different skill sets.
This is besides additional costs in pensions and gratuities to retirees, which keep increasing by the year.
The political elite are getting away with a chunk of the payouts, with the disparities playing out within the ranks.
MPs are arguably the best-paid public servants, with a monthly pay of about Sh1.7 million, higher than President William Ruto’s Sh1.44 million gross pay.
Some lawmakers, especially those in leadership and other positions of additional responsibility, take home almost Sh2 million.
An analysis by the Star reveals the pay rates [basic salary] for nearly all civil servants vary tremendously.
Whereas the top-paid teacher earns Sh160,000 monthly, police in the highest job group are paid Sh274,000.
Other civil servants of a similar rank (D5) earn Sh203,000 monthly, according to data by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
Salaries for the different units like the Directorate of Criminal Investigations or government buildings protection also vary.
Constitutional commissions staff also earn different wages from those of the same grade in the regular civil service.
State corporations have different packages for their staff, with those in profit-making commercial entities earning more.
As a result, many civil servants have found themselves stagnating at one pay grade, with no definite end in sight.
Striking doctors have decried being paid peanuts. Clinicians recently complained about highly paid consultants.
While some specialists earn up to Sh340,000, the clinicians are on a starting salary of Sh70,000.
During last week’s wage bill conference, pay inequity was among the central concerns of the regulators and government.
The question of productivity also lingered but more prominent was whether taxpayers can manage to pay the price of bridging the wage gap.
Three issues are mostly blamed for the disparities, including employees county governments inherited from defunct local authorities.
Some staff were absorbed from the national government performing devolved functions.
On assuming office, governors and ministers recruit additional staff through the service boards.
While this situation persists, each category of staff has their salary structure and a number are yet to be harmonised conclusively.
The differences in the categories of employees, experts hold, have brought challenges in promotions, job allocation and budget management.
The County Public Service Boards National Consultative Forum has sued the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, demanding increased pay and perks for their members.
The Public Service Boards are demanding salaries and benefits similar to those paid at the Public Service Commission.
Members of county assemblies (MCAs) are also on a quest to be paid at almost the same level as MPs, saying they have been discriminated against, yet they perform the same role.
SRC slashed their basic pay from Sh165,000 to Sh86,000. The county lawmakers want to be paid Sh400,000.
County Assemblies Forum chairman Wambua Kavyu cited discrepancies in mileage allowance. MPs get Sh152 per kilometre while MCAs get Sh77.9 per kilometre.
An SRC source, while acknowledging that the disparities are real, said it would take Sh340 billion to move every civil servant to an equal level of pay.
For the commission official, the size of staff determines how fast or slow a cadre can be moved.
“It has been easy to push people up a little faster because some numbers are small,” the officer said.
Owing to their large numbers, teachers, health sector workers and police are in a long wait for the review.
This has been compounded by the recent declarations by the government freezing pay reviews and hiring to reduce the wage bill.
“The challenge is that if you pay, for instance, one teacher, you will have to pay all of them. This has been a challenge.”
The commission source stated the disparities are historic and the National Treasury may not be able to pay.
Recently, SRC reported that it funded pay adjustments of about Sh22 billion this financial year, against the requirement for Sh340 billion.
“Police and teachers will continue suffering because of the issues with cost. Constitutional commissions will not get an increase for a while as they are already highly paid,” the official stated.
The situation, experts say, may not change unless the country nets more revenue, adding it would take more than 12 years to reach the optimum.
For the commission, in the face of economic hardships, it would review salaries but there would be no increment.
Disparities in recruitments and promotions in the public service have also been blamed on the lack of a uniform human resource policy.
Former Public Service CS Margaret Kobia said the solution is for the authorities to draw up a policy to help guide the sector.
“The concerned ministry should come up with a policy if it really wants to take the next step,” she said.
The former CS said the disparities whereby constitutional commissions earn something different from other public officers, can cause the latter to be demoralised.
“Inclusivity in how to tackle the wage bill is very important. If the staff are de-motivated, even the government may suffer. Some public servants earn very little and cannot live in the place of their choice,” Kobia said.
“We hear a lot of noise because we don’t have a policy. The lack of policy is the central issue. Several interests need to be taken care of.”
Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra) in an earlier report said while the wage differential favours the general public sector, the gaps vary when the smaller sections of the public sector are factored.
“Despite the wage differential in favour of state corporations and parastatals, differences emerge when the wage gap is disaggregated by sectors,” the agency said.
