President Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed his support on the recommendation by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to cut down the salaries and allowances of elected leaders from August this year.
He called on elected leaders to adopt the interim report by the Sarah Serem-led team to help contain the country’s overall wage bill.
The shift which seeks to review the remuneration and benefits for state officers for the period 2017-2022 is targeted at all public servants at both national and county levels, with a view to improving the terms of those in lowest cadres.
This means that salaries and allowances of the President, Deputy President, governors, Senators, MPs, Women Representatives and Members of Country Assemblies who will be elected on August 8 will be reduced if the current parliament adopts the recommendation.
“This report recommends, amongst other measures, a rationalization of the salaries and allowances paid to senior state officers, public servants, elected officials from members of county assemblies all the way to the President.
“As your President and as a Kenyan, I fully support the recommendations of the SRC and I call upon all of us to adopt these recommendations,” he said during the State of the Nation address yesterday.
Senators, governors and MPs earn close to Sh 900, 000 a month while MCAs take home around Sh 300, 000 leading to a public outcry on the wage bill that gobbles up close to half of the country’s Sh 2trillion annual budget.
He pointed out that the constant attempts by politicians to increase their salaries and allowances have contributed to the unsustainable demands by other cadres within the public sector to increase their own remuneration at the expense of the country’s development agenda.
“I appreciate that the silent fear of every politician is ending their career in politics broke and destitute. However, we must always remember that the calling of leadership is to serve. Not to become rich through serving,” he said.
The Head of State reiterated the need for leaders to restore the principle of servant leadership, by respecting the will of the people and supporting the work of the SRC.
