- Kenyan President, Willaim Ruto, has halted the planned salary raise of cabinet members and lawmakers
- Lawmakers support the suspension due to the country’s economic situation
- The suspension follows days of protests over tax hike, where citizens called for financial prudence from the government
The pay rise suspension follows mass protests by Kenyans last week, which forced the government to withdraw a contentious finance bill that included an increase in taxes.
Though the deliberation on salary increases for cabinet members and lawmakers was done months ago, according to a notice issued last year, its implementation coincided with nationwide protests over tax increases.
A statement by the spokesperson for the Kenya State House, Hussein Mohammed, on Wednesday, said, “The President has emphasised that now more than ever, the executive and all arms of government must live within their means.”
Lyn Mengich, the chairperson of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), said the pay rise, which the commission had initially proposed at two per cent and five per cent for state officials, including judges, was suspended owing to the current economic situation in the country.
The SRC suspended the salary increase after discussions with the National Treasury, Mengich had said.
The increase in salaries would have seen each cabinet secretary earn Ksh. 990,000 plus allowances from Ksh. 957,000 previously. Each 51 principal secretaries would have earned Ksh. 819,844 from Ksh. 792,519 previously.
Also, salaries of speakers of the National Assembly and Senate would have increased to Ksh. 1,208,362 from Ksh.1,185,327, while salaries of members of parliament would have increased to Ksh.739,600 from Ksh.725,502.
News of the salary increment raised public outcry as citizens questioned the rational for increasing the salaries of politicians when the country is facing a financial crisis.
Lawmakers support salary increase suspension
Meanwhile, Kenyan lawmakers, including Senator Aaron Cheruiyot from the ruling coalition, have thrown their weight behind Ruto’s suspension of the increase in salaries of cabinet members and lawmakers.
This is even as there are insinuations of partial application of the suspension as Public Service Minister, Moses Kuria, said he would not implement the increase “as applies” to the cabinet.
Also, Samuel Njoroge, clerk of the National Assembly, had said on Tuesday that the suspension as recommended by SRC could not be changed as they are “normal salary reviews or increments in any organisation.”
Some of the country’s lawmakers like Adan Keynan, an opposition party lawmaker but supporter of the government, said the proposed increase will amount to being “tone-deaf” to the demands of the citizens.
Another opposition lawmaker, Edwin Sifuna, also said the pay rise is unjustifiable “when the whole country is saying we need to lessen the taxpayer burden.”
Spin-off of youth-led protests
Ruto’s suspension of the salary increase followed last week’s protests in the Eastern African country, the biggest in Kenya since Ruto assumed office in 2022.
The protesters, majorly young people, had called for the suspension of a controversial finance bill that included hike in taxes. They insisted that the Kenyan government cut down on wasteful government expenditure and stop corruption.
Yielding to the demands of the protesters, Ruto withdrew the bill, promising to meet their demands.
The protests, according to the state-appointed Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights, claimed at least 39 lives while hundreds more were injured.
Starting as a demonstration against planned tax hike, the protests later degenerated to calls for the resignation of Ruto and other political leaders.
It further took a new twist on Tuesday, July 2, as shops and supermarkets were looted, prompting the police to publish images of 38 people wanted for “engaging in lawlessness.”
In response, the organisers of the protests alleged that the protests had been infiltrated by hired “goons” and were reassessing their strategy and considering calling off the protests.
Senators don’t want NLC to shutdown power, airports during strikes, propose bill
Meanwhile, TheRadar had reported that the Nigerian Senate has started the process of passing legislation that will prevent the shutdown of the national grid airports during strikes by labour unions.
The lawmakers said the recent strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over minimum wage increase were more about economic destruction than fighting for a new minimum wage.
