Sobriety, tough choices needed to tame ballooning wage bill

Yesterday, Members of Parliament and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) met to start two days of deliberations on a policy document prepared by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to guide the remuneration of public sector employees.

The lack of a centralised framework for pay determination has resulted in salary inequalities which have not led to  industrial action and calls for better remuneration, but a rising wage bill as well. In the period 2013/2014, Kenya's wage bill stood at 12.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while most countries in Africa averaged 9.5 per cent. Actually, a ballooning wage bill and the need for harmonisation is what led to the creation of the SRC through the Kenya Constitution 2010. Its objective was to, among other things, inquire and determine the salaries and remuneration to be paid out of public coffers to public officers and make recommendations on the review of pensions.