Uhuru, Ruto to Get Increased Salaries in New Pay Structure

President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto are set to get enhanced salaries in the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1st, 2021.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) says it will review State officers’ pay upwards to accommodate inflation and compensate for the salary cuts implemented in 2017.

“Given the cuts that happened in 2017, there will be a justification to increase or worse restore the salaries,” an SRC commissioner told Business Daily.

SRC’s new pay structure will be benchmarked against what neighboring countries, South Africa, India, the US, and Canada pay similar officeholders. SRC is constitutionally mandated to review State officers’ pay after every four years.

“The commission will also carry out a salary survey to collect data which will inform the salary structures for the 2021/22-2024/25 remuneration review cycle,” SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said in a circular.

During the previous review in 2017, SRC saved Sh8.5 billion after massive cuts of State officials’ salaries, a move that sparked a storm among Members of Parliament (MPs).

The commission said the cuts were aimed at reducing the wage bill, which takes up to 50 percent of the country’s revenues.

President Kenyatta’s monthly pay was trimmed from Sh1.65 million to Sh1.44 million while that of DP Ruto was capped at Sh1.23 million from Sh1.4 million he earned in his first term.

SRC’s bid to lower MPs salary from Sh710, 000 to Sh621,250 failed following a petition in court.

The new pay structure, which will last until 2025, will also affect the salaries of Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, the Attorney-General, the Chief of the Defense Forces, military service commanders, and heads of the police, among others.