Senior and county-level state officers are set to have their salaries increased beginning this month amid the Finance Bill 2024 squabble by the public. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), in a Gazette Notice No. 177 published on August 9, 2023, recommended senior state officials to have their salaries increased beginning July 1, 2024, for the fiscal year 2024-2025.
While the country has been facing public outrage over the displayed opulence and rampant corruption within the senior state dockets from the national government to the devolved units, increasing their salaries could spark another landmark criticism from the electorates even as they call for the reduction of lawmakers’, cabinet secretaries, president, deputy president, and other state officials’ salaries.
From the executive arm of government, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Secretaries, Attorney General, Head of Public Service, Principal Secretary, and Inspector General, among others, will see their gross salaries increased as shown in the executive monthly salary remuneration table below, except for the President and the Deputy President.
| State Officer | Gross Salary 2023/24 | Gross Salary 2024/2025 |
|---|---|---|
| President | 1,443,750 | 1,443,750 |
| Deputy President | 1,227,188 | 1,227,188 |
| Prime Cabinet Secretary | 957,000 | 990,000 |
| Cabinet Secretary | 957,000 | 990,000 |
| Attorney General | 957,000 | 990,000 |
| Head of Public Service | 957,000 | 990,000 |
| Secretary to the Cabinet | 957,000 | 990,000 |
| Principal Secretary | 792,519 | 819,844 |
| Inspector General: National Police Service | 792,519 | 819,844 |
| Director General: National Intelligence Service | 792,519 | 819,844 |
| Deputy Inspector General: Kenya Police Service | 652,742 | 684,233 |
| Deputy Inspector General: Administration Police | 652,742 | 684,233 |
| Diector of Criminal Investigation | 652,742 | 684,233 |
The Legislative arm of the government will see the Speakers of both national and senate gross salaries increased, leaders of the majority from both houses, leaders of the minority, and members from both houses, respectively. However Kenyans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the role lawmakers played in the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which many were against, but the MPs approved it.
| State Officer | Gross Salary 2023/24 | Gross Salary 2023/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the National Assembly | 1,185,327 | 1,208,362 |
| Speaker of the Senate | 1,185,327 | 1,208,362 |
| Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly | 948,261 | 966,690 |
| Deputy Speaker of the Senate | 948,261 | 966,690 |
| Leader of Majority Party | 784,768 | 800,019 |
| Leader of the Minority Party | 784,768 | 800,019 |
| Member of the National Assembly/Senate | 725,502 | 739,600 |
On the other hand, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission proposed an increment for the County Governors and their deputies, and members of the County Executive Committee to 990,000, 684, 233, and 422,526 from 957, 000, 652, 742, and 413, 079 respectively beginning the month of July 2024. The county assembly members, from the Speaker and the deputies to leaders of majority and minority will also have a pay rise starting this financial year.
| State Officer | Gross Salary 2023/24 | Gross Salary 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| County Governor | 957,000 | 990,000 |
| Deputy County Governor | 652,742 | 684,233 |
| Member of the Executive Committee | 413,079 | 422,526 |
| Speaker of the County Assembly | 537,003 | 549,283 |
| Deputy Speaker of the County Assembly | 231,722 | 247,943 |
| Leader of the Majority/Minority Party | 191,324 | 204,717 |
| Member of the County Assembly | 154,481 | 164,588 |
Kenyans have recently been on the streets protesting against the Finance Bill 2024, which the president declined to assent following the approval by the parliament. Given the country’s rising economic temperature, the national debt hobbling development, and the increased youth unemployment, Kenyans have displayed their displeasure over the proposed salary increments.
Hon. Moses Kuria, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service in a press release has declined to implement the gazette notice and urged the SRC to degazette and review the salary structure across all levels of government, citing unsustainability as the implementation would see both levels of government spending over 1 trillion on salaries alone.
“As the Cabinet Secretary responsible for Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management therefore, I decline to implement the gazette notice on increased salaries as applies to the Executive arm of Government and urge the commission to degazette the implementation of the new salary structure, on its entirety, across all levels of government,” Moses Kuria, The Cabinet Secretary for Public Service.
