SRC Allowances: Civil servants in Kenya will from this July earn allowances capped at 40 per cent of their basic pay. This is according to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission which is set to publish guidelines on allowances for civil servants in June.
According to the SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich, this move is aimed at putting a ceiling on the ballooning wage bill which currently stands at Sh. 820 billion. Once the new rule is enforced, taxpayers will no longer foot water and electricity bills for civil servants as well as other ‘unnecessary allowances, as part of the efforts to achieve the 40 per cent cap.
Allowances paid to civil servants for attending a retreat or for participating in a conference away from their work stations will also be abolished.
A report on the upcoming cuts said that the SRC is also seeking to abolish responsibility allowance – paid to civil servants for additional roles, medical and security allowances to different cadres, and entertainment allowance. Transport allowances will be limited to special cases. Public sector employees will be asked to use public service transport and claim reimbursement if none is provided.
Quarter per diem, paid to officers when out of the country will also be affected together with areas designated as hardship postings, and non-practicing allowances for judges and health workers.
