NAIROBI: Kenya’s new president Dr William Samoei Ruto has revealed plans to increase salaries of all public servants as the government seeks to raise the morale of employees under the civil service. Public Service, Affirmative Action and Gender Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aisha Jumwa Karisa Katana has revealed that the increment would be effected in a period as short as 100 days.
CS Jumwa revelation means that all Kenyan government employees could soon smile to the banks for fatter salaries in the next three months. By January or February 2023, the planned salary raise will have been implemented if Jumwa’s announcement is anything to go by or if all goes according to plan.
The cabinet secretary broke the good news to Kenyans following her tour of the Nairobi Huduma Centre on Monday, October 31, 2022. CS Jumwa explained that the Ruto administration wants to reform the public service as a way of increasing morale among government employees and improving service delivery.
“The public service is demoralized in matters salary and other benefits and I think in my first 100 days in office, I will initiate the plan to increase salaries of the public servants,” said Jumwa, before further revealing that her office will review the county wage bill, and trashing the Senate’s claims that the same wage bill has crossed the legal 35 per cent limit. The cabinet secretary noted that Kenya, a country of about 50 million people, is served by less than one million public servants.
Besides a salary increment, that will have to be debated in cabinet, the National Assembly and Senate, CS Jumwa also revealed that her Public Service and Gender Ministry plans to review working hours for the 52 Huduma Centres spread across the 47 counties that make up the East African nation, and that new centres will be established.
She explained: “Extended working hours in a number of Huduma Centres, 18 nationally including the one in G.P.O will offer highly sought services from 7am to 7pm. Our plan is that every sub-county will have a Huduma Centre but because of the current economic times we are planning to have at least 100 in the next five years.”
You can see the fat salaries that top Kenyan government officials earn every month Here. For Uganda, you can see the list of 25 most highly paid government employees HERE.
