By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
The Public Service Commission has called for a whole-of-government approach in managing the wage bill crisis in the public sector.
PSC Chairperson Amb. Anthony Muchiri said the age bill issue that the country faces today can’t be handled by one institution.
Amb. Muchiri made the comments in a statement read on his behalf by Dr Sylvester Obong’o, the Director of performance. This was during a Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) media breakfast in Nairobi on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
“The wage bill problem cannot be addressed by one institution, all government organizations must unite and play their roles accordingly for us to amicably address this issue,” said the PSC chair.
Speaking at the same event, the SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich noted that the upcoming Wage Bill Conference will offer a perfect opportunity for all government institutions to have a discourse on how to resolve the wage bill question.
“We welcome all of Kenyans to this timely wage bill conference, as we will navigate and brainstorm on how to tackle this crisis,” said Mengich.
The SRC Media Breakfast meeting was a curtain raiser event ahead of the National Wage Bill Conference 2024, scheduled to run from 15th – 17th April 2024, at the Bomas of Kenya.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, Principal Secretary Public Service Amos Gathecha and his Performance and Delivery Management counterpart Veronica Nduva were also present.
The public wage bill in Kenya has been a topic of significant concern and scrutiny.
Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in its periodical review indicated that it received 23 requests with a total cost implication of Ksh1.9 billion to cater for among others salary reviews, collective bargaining negotiations, allowances, benefits, and performance bonuses.
Statistics show that the public sector wage bill in Kenya has been increasing over time. It rose from Ksh 526 billion in 2013/14 to Ksh 827 billion in 2019/20 within the context of revenue and financing constraints.