By Moses Michira

NAIROBI, KENYA: Governors have placed new demands for 11 new support and domestic staff, whose monthly pay nearly clocks Sh1.5 million.

This could present a fresh wage bill burden for county governments, which are already staring at huge holes in their budgets.

Deputy governors have also lodged their demands for six support staff including a cook and gardener for their homes that would be paid from the county kitties, in a new petition filed to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The two top officials of the devolved governments have already complained about the salaries proposed by Sarah Serem’s body, with the latest demands for personal staff only helping to grow their overall remuneration.

Compensation package

An enhanced compensation package should also be extended to cover County Speakers and members of the County Assemblies, according to the petition sent to the SRC detailing the pay structure for the new staff of the devolved government units. The petition is a product of consultations between all county speakers, who are the heads of the legislative arm of the devolved units, which demands that they be accorded security, an official car and housed by the State like the case is with the National Assembly.

“The proposals made in this report, especially on salary structure took cognizance of the current salary structure in the public service and the prevailing economic situation in the country,” read part of the petition presented to Ms Serem’s body.

The petition has been drafted by one A K Kochei, the speaker in Elgeyo Marakwet County Assembly, and the secretary of the Speakers’ forum. Other demands contained in the petition include pegging the benefits paid to the members of the County Assembly to the remuneration enjoyed by the Governors, at the fraction that the MPs’ pay is compared to what the President earns. 

Member of the County Assemblies also want to be granted car loans at the sub-market rate of 3 per cent, as is the case at the National Assembly.

The decision to peg their remuneration and other benefits to the National Assembly was informed by the similarities in the job descriptions that relate to legislation and being the watchdog of the executive.

Gross monthly pay

“County Assembly members be given a gross monthly salary calculated as a percentage of the Governor’s gross monthly salary in line with what percentage pay of the president that a Member of Parliament earns, reads one of the demands.

An MP earns Sh532,000 a month as basic salary, which is about half of the amount earned by the President, implying the county representatives should earn Sh320,315 a month before allowances.

Compared to their present remuneration of Sh79,200, the members of the county assembly would be demanding a four-fold salary increment in the petition, bringing them to par with one of the highest paid workers in the public service. In their meeting with the Serem team last week, County Representatives had their allowances increased but they still insist that their pay is way below the standards of living and the responsibilities bestowed on them.

County Assembly

Members of the county assemblies also want the number of sittings to be capped at 10 per week, up from four, where each would earn Sh5,000 per session, equal to what MPs earn as a sitting allowance.

County Speakers want their monthly salaries pegged to a fraction of the governors’, in line with what percentage of the President’s gross monthly salary the Speaker of Parliament earns.

Gazetted rates allow County Speakers to draw a monthly salary of Sh225,000 but their demands would more than double their pay to more than Sh500,000 since the National Assembly Speaker earns about 80 per cent as much as the President.

Monthly wage up

The proposed pay structure is expected to push the monthly wage for the County governments for governors, their deputies and speakers to more than Sh1 billion.

Adding this to the salary proposals for other new officers created under the devolved governments like county secretaries, members of the county public service boards, down to village administrators, the wage bill for counties’ administrative staff and legislature could exceed Sh24 billion a year.

The petition and the salary proposals presented to the embattled salaries body now presents the newest headache for Ms Serem, who legislators have vowed to push out of office. 

A Motion before Parliament intends to debate Ms Serem’s character after allegedly using her office to act against the Constitution in amending an Act of Parliament, which sets the MPs’ salaries.

Details of the petition show that the Governor and their deputies would enjoy benefits of domestic staff paid by the county governments they head, mirroring the remuneration enjoyed by the President and his deputy.

The demands, if granted, could further complicate the Government’s plan to freeze the soaring public wage bill with pleas from President Uhuru that the elected officials suspend their salary demands being widely ignored, and even ridiculed.