SRC rejects county executives’ 66pc salary increase bid

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has rejected county executives’ demand for a 66 per cent pay rise.

It would have added Sh1.1 billion to the Sh1.7 billion annual wage bill taxpayers have been carrying since their offices were created two and a half years ago.

The County Executive Committee (CEC) members, commonly referred to as county ministers, had written to the SRC asking for a pay increase.
They argued that theirs are high-risk jobs fit for better remuneration.

The county ministers wanted their pay raised from Sh300,000 to Sh500,000 a month (or equal to county assembly speakers) – an amount that would have taken their annual wage bill to Sh2.8 billion a year.

Each of the 47 counties has about 10 executives and adding them Sh200,000 would amount to a Sh1.1 billion annual wage bill increase.

But the SRC, through a letter dated October 26, 2015, rejected the request saying their current pay was objectively and rationally determined.

“The commission on its 102th meeting held on October 22, 2015 deliberated on the matter and notes that the remunerations and benefits for County Executive Committee members was done after a job-re-evaluation exercise,” Anne Gitau, the commission secretary, says in a letter to the county executives.

She adds that it would be difficult to consider the request in the absence of another evaluation.

“In view of these circumstances, it will not be prudent to revise the current salaries and benefits for County Executive Committee (CEC) members until such a time that the commission will review remuneration and benefits of all State Officers.”

The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has capped a CEC member’s pay at Sh368,212.

The CRA set the caps, including for governors and members of county assembly, in a May circular to guide the counties during budget preparations for the year to June 2016.

County ministers for finance have particularly been agitating for a salary review, claiming that most of them left plum jobs in the private sector to work for county governments only to be offered Sh300,000 pay.

“Our jobs are highly risky. Threats and blackmail from MCAs who think you earn more than them is the order of the day. They demand bribes and tenders, making the job even much more complex. The terms offered here are not encouraging at all,” said one county finance executive who sought anonymity for fear of reprisals from MCAs.

The county officials have also complained that their ‘‘low’’ pay is encouraging many senior county government officers to do business with county governments and enhancing corruption.

Rose Kisia-Omondi, the secretary -general of the Council of County Ministers, who has been leading the charge for improved pay for the county ministers, has effectively suffered a setback with the SRC’s response.

The ministers are in charge of various portfolios relevant to devolved functions as provided for in the Constitution.

Each county has a maximum 10 CECs, who implement county government plans, and are answerable to the governor.

The SRC had last year reviewed the monthly earnings for MCAs and awarded them additional benefits, including airtime allowance worth between Sh5,000 and Sh10,000 to MCAs and Speakers.

“All members of the county assembly are entitled to airtime as follows-(a) the speaker of the county assembly Sh10, 000 per month and other Members of the County Assembly Sh5,000,” read a letter by the SRC.

The commission also gave MCAs the right to a car loan of not more than Sh2 million, payable at three per cent interest per year.

The public service wage bill has been the subject of debate in recent months owing to growing concerns over the huge salary bill.

Kenya’s public wage bill, at 12 per cent of the gross domestic product, is among the highest in Africa and is nearly twice the globally accepted level of seven per cent.