It’s time to address size of public service

By Barack Muluka

When President Uhuru Kenyatta announced at a Jubilee retreat in Mt Kenya that he was taking a 20 per cent wage cut, the response was swift and predictable. His detractors, led by CORD leaders, said it was a cheap gimmick. A publicity stunt without enduring merits, they said. Undaunted, the President went on to sound an edict on public service wages. All heads of State corporations would take a 20 per cent pay cut, in the interest of an ailing national economy. The President charged with the mien of a wounded buffalo, “Take it or leave it. If you so wish, you can go to court,” he said.