Agency rules out tying governor salary to incomes

Finance minister Njeru Githae with Mrs Sarah Serem, chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, during the launch of the proposed pay structure for State officers at KICC on February 5. File 

By OUMA WANZALA

Posted  Wednesday, February 13  2013 at  21:44

In Summary

• SRC chairman Sarah Serem said the salaries of governors would not be tied to their respective counties’ capacity to generate income.
• Mrs Serem said that the uniform salaries for governors was meant to motivate them to improve the economy of their counties.
• The commission is targeting to reduce the wage bill from 12 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product to seven per cent.0

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission will slash further the salaries of State officers after bowing to pressure from interest groups, including the Cabinet and employers.

SRC chairman Sarah Serem, however, said the salaries of governors would not be tied to their respective counties’ capacity to generate income.

“We did not look at the economic strength of the county or how small the county is to decide the salaries of the governors as we wanted to end such discrimination,” said Mrs Serem during a public forum at the Eldoret Municipal Council hall.

Mrs Serem said that the uniform salaries for governors was meant to motivate them to improve the economy of their counties.

Unions especially those in the health and education sectors, she said, should consider not demand upward salary adjustments that the economy could not support.

“They should sit down with the Treasury officials, see what effect their salary increment would mean to the economy and determine if it was sustainable,” Mrs Serem said.

The commission has started evaluating the salaries of other public officers to address disparities.

The highest paid worker earns about 169 times more than the lowest paid but the commission wants to reduce this to 87 per cent. The job evaluation would also ensure that workers in national and county governments are fairly compensated.

The commission has also proposed a stop to the hiring of foreigners except for skills not available in Kenya.

A pension specialist had been identified to review retirement benefits of public officials.

Two weeks ago, the commission released the salary structures for 3,500 state officers including judges, MPs, senators and governors who cost the exchequer Sh14 billion. Under the new structure, the commission said Sh500 million would be saved annually.

(Read: Cabinet, employers ask agency to lower salaries further)

The commission is targeting to reduce the wage bill from 12 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product to seven per cent.

Participants at the forum said reducing the salaries of state officers would contain aggressive competition seen during elections.

“We want you to reduce the salaries so that leaders can see their jobs as a calling to serve Kenyans and not forum to make money,” said Kipkorir arap Menjo.