Public servants earn pay boost this month

  SHARE BOOKMARKPRINTEMAILRATING

File | NATION In a circular dated June 25, Public Service Permanent Secretary Titus Ndambuki said the increments were designed to restore harmony in the public service pay structure. 

By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, July 3  2012 at  23:35

Junior and middle level civil servants have been given a pay rise ranging from Sh1,291 to Sh24,080 a month.

The beneficiaries include cleaners, messengers, executive officers and professionals between job groups ‘A’ and ‘T’. The increase takes effect from July 1.

Excluded are super earners such as permanent secretaries and those who were recruited from the private sector.

It was not immediately clear how the pay sits with the new system where salaries and allowances for public officers are under the mandate of the Public Service Remuneration Commission.

The increase is of between 17 and 22 per cent. The increase was factored into the budget Finance Minister Njeru Githae presented to Parliament last month.

In a circular dated June 25, Public Service Permanent Secretary Titus Ndambuki said the increments were designed to restore harmony in the public service pay structure.

The document, ‘Re-Alignment of the Salary Structure for Civil Servants’, stated that the new pay took into consideration government’s ability to meet to new costs.

In the new salary scales, the lowest paid worker in Job group ‘A’, subordinate staff including cleaners, will receive a 16.9 per cent increase — from Sh7,619 to Sh8,910.

Share This Story

21Share 

The highest paid civil servant in that category will have their salary go up from Sh8,039 to Sh9,420.

Although he welcomed the increments, Union of Kenya Civil Servants secretary general Tom Odege said the average 17 per cent was inadequate to meet inflation rate.

“We expect the government to think of starting other salary negotiations as soon as possible,” he said. Mr Odege said civil servants still remained the lowest paid workers in public service.

The increases is for basic salary only and allowances such as housing and transportation remain unchanged.

Lowest earners in job group ‘G’ — clerical staff, store keepers and librarians — have seen their salaries increased from Sh10,717 a month to Sh12,510. The highest earners in the grade will move from Sh12,416 to Sh16,080 a month.

Fresh diploma holders who entered the service at job ‘H’ and were earning Sh16,692 will now start earning Sh19,323 from this month.

This represents an increase of Sh2,631, or 15 per cent. The highest earners in the job group will now take home Sh24,662 compared to Sh20,289 previously.

In the current civil service structure, however, most diploma holders and technical staff are in job group ‘J’ and are set to earn between Sh24,662 and Sh29,918. Previously, their salaries ranged between Sh21,304 and Sh25,895.

The least paid staff in job group J will receive a raise of Sh3,358 (15.7 per cent) while the highest paid worker will receive an increment of Sh4,023 (15.5 per cent).

Graduate staff in job group ‘K’ will receive an additional Sh4,697 – to earn Sh31,020 this month. The highest paid graduate in the job category of ‘K’ will receive Sh41,590.

But graduate civil servants who have been promoted to Job group ‘L’, usually after about three years, would receive a raise of Sh5,438.

The least paid graduate of the job group will see their salary go up from Sh30,472 to Sh35,910, a 17.8 per cent raise. The highest paid civil servant in the category will now take home Sh45,880 compared to Sh35,275 previously.

Civil servants in this category are usually desk staff. Middle level management staff – at job group ‘Q’ such as senior assistant directors – will be moved to the new upper limit in the job group of Sh12,221, for those serving at the basement level of the category.

But highest earners in the category will now earn Sh120,270 up from Sh98,997 previously. Staff in this category, as are those in Job group ‘P’, are sometimes allowed to head departments within the civil service.

Biggest beneficiaries of the increment would be staff in job group ‘R’, mainly senior departmental heads. They will receive a salary raise of up to Sh24,659, the highest among the categories in the new salary awards.