The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has revised the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rates-travel allowance-for civil servants, including teachers, across the country to cover local travel.

The new rates aim to provide fair compensation for travel expenses incurred during official duties.

In a circular dated August 7,2023 and signed by SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich, the Commission noted that the new DSA applies to all cities, county headquarters and all other towns.

Teachers in Grade B5 (Primary Teacher II) and C1 (Secondary Teacher Ill, Lecturer Ill, Primary Teacher l) will receive a DSA of Ksh6,300.

Those in Grade C2(Secondary Teacher Il, SNE Teacher ll-Primary, Lecturer ll, Senior Teacher Il),C3(Secondary Teacher l, Lecturer I,SNE Teacher l-Primary, SNE Teacher Il-Secondary, Senior Teacher I),C4(Senior Lecturer IV, Senior Master IV, SNE Senior Teacher-Primary, SNE Teacher l- Secondary, Deputy Headteacher Il) and C5 (Senior Master Ill, Senior Lecturer Ill, Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher I, Curriculum Support Officer ll) will now receive a DSA of Ksh11,200.

Meanwhile, teachers in Grade D1 (Senior Master ll, Deputy Principal lll, Senior Headteacher, Senior Lecturer ll, Curriculum Support Officer I) D2 (Deputy Principal ll, Senior Master I, Senior Lecturer I), D3 (Principal, Deputy Principal l), D4 (Senior Principal) and D5(Chief Principal) will earn a DSA of Ksh14,000.

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“This Circular supersedes any other Circular on Retreat Allowance, Taskforce Allowance, Sitting Allowance, for Institutional Internal Committees, and DSA (Local and Foreign Travel)in the public service.” Says the Circular.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has now invited tutors’ trade unions for a meeting on pay talks on Monday.

The meeting is expected to review the 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) given that the unions signed a non-monetary pact in 2021 with TSC amidst the harsh economic situation at that time.

The unions however, promised members that a review on the basic salary would be undertaken once the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) gives TSC a go ahead.

And in a letter dated August 15, TSC has since sent an invite to the unions on review of the CBA at the Kenya School of Government (KSG).

“The purpose of this letter is to invite you to a meeting with TSC scheduled for August 22 at 9.00am. The meeting will take place at Kenya School of Government, Lower Kabete in Nairobi,” reads a letter from TSC.

Teacher unions include Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet), Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).

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The invite comes against the backdrop of SRC announcement of a 7 – 10 per cent salary raise, which came as a relief for teachers who have been pushing for a pay rise.

Under the new arrangement, teachers are the biggest beneficiaries of the salary rise for civil servants, which will be backdated to July 1. SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said the review is about harmonisation to achieve equity and fairness in remuneration and benefits in the public service within the principle of affordability and fiscal sustainability.

“Pursuant to the constitutional principle of affordability and fiscal sustainability, SRC engaged the National Treasury on funding. The National Treasury advised SRC to consider reviewing remuneration structure within a budget allocation of Sh27.7 billion for the year 2023/24,” said Mengich in a press conference two weeks ago.

Out of the Sh21.7 billion, the teaching service will receive 44.2 per cent or Sh9.5 billion under the new proposal.

According to the proposed salary increment for teachers after the Government’s proposal, the highest grade of D5 could earn at least Sh173,422.

In the rank of D5, the proposal shows that a 7 per cent increment will see teachers who earn a basic of Sh131,380 rise to a minimum of Sh140,577.

In the event of 10 percent, a teacher whose current basic pay is Sh157,657 will get a maximum of Sh173,422.

On the other hand, the lowest paid teacher in grade B5 will see a rise from the current Sh21,756 to a minimum of Sh23,279 if 7 per cent is effected and from the current Sh27,195 to a maximum of Sh29,915 if 10 per cent is implemented.

Against the backdrop of these developments, TSC announced on Saturday that at least 14,000 applicants will be promoted to higher job groups, even as mixed reactions were raised by those left out.

TSC has advertised for promotion vacancies about three times saying it lacked qualified applicants.
The Commission was allocated Sh1 billion for promotions this financial year.

At the same time, TSC said last month when launching its 2023/27 strategic plan that it requires an additional budget of Sh134 billion to ensure successful implementation of its activities in the next five years.

TSC Secretary, Nancy Macharia said the budget will among other functions cover recruitment of an additional 111,870 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms and engage another 100,000 interns under its newly launched to address the current shortage.

Other areas that the Commission seeks to cover within this period include establishing a teacher support institute, decentralizing key functions and promotion of teachers.

“During the five-year plan period, we project to recruit a total of 111,870 teachers. I am happy to report that, in this financial year, the TSC has been allocated Sh4.68 billion for the recruitment of 20,000 intern teachers… For successful implementation of this plan over the next five years, the Commission will require an additional budget of Sh134.4,” said Macharia.

TSC’s target is to employ at least 22,000 teachers annually, which amounts to over Sh70 billion within the period.

The bulk of this funding is expected to come from the National Government, though the Commission also intends to supplement by strengthening its collaboration with stakeholders.

Macharia said that under the new strategic plan, the Commission has taken keen interest on the welfare of teachers who ultimately shape learners’ lives.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has announced a 7-10 per cent salary rise for civil servants, backdated to July 1.

The increment will cost taxpayers Ksh21.7 billion more for the financial year 2023/2024, with teachers getting the lion’s share of Ksh9.5 billion.

According to SCR, the average increase is 7 to 10 per cent over a two-year period, inclusive of the existing notch increase, which averages 3 per cent annually.

“Where the salary structures are frozen, the notch increase will continue as budgeted up to the maximum salary point,” SRC announced.

Other Civil Servants

Of the Ksh21.7 billion, executive state officers will get Ksh126.9 million while Parliament state officers will get 78.9 million.

Judiciary state officers will get Ksh308.2 million, county state officers will get Ksh408.9 million while civil servants will get Ksh1.8 billion.

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County governments will pocket Ksh4.1 billion while uniformed and disciplined forces will earn Ksh4.5 billion. Other public officers will get Ksh745.6 million.

“Increase in employee numbers is a key contributor to the increase in the wage bill as an absolute amount. As a developing nation, the government will continue to employ in key sectors to achieve the ideal ratios for effective service delivery, notably in teaching, healthcare, and security. However, increase in employee numbers is not always attributed to service delivery in critical areas,” SRC added.

Kenya’s Labour productivity remains low compared to other countries. According to the International Labour Organization, 2021, statistics on labour productivity, Kenya is ranked number 151 out of 185 countries globally, and number 22 out of 46 countries in Africa.

Teachers and other civil servants will now get a 7-10 per cent salary raise and backdated to July 1 after a freeze placed in 2021.

SRC revealed at a breakfast meeting in Nairobi that the salary review is based on growth momentum that picked up immediately after Covid-19.

Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) says the National Treasury has allocated Sh27.1 billion for 2023/24 to undertake the exercise.

“The average increase of 7-10 per cent will be undertaken over a two-year period and is inclusive of a notch increase, averaging three per cent annually,” SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said.

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She added that the third remuneration and benefits review will see progressive harmonisation and adjustment of remuneration structures that are below the 50 percentile market positioning while freezing salary structures above the 50 percentile.

Furthermore, where the salary structures are frozen, the notch increase will continue as budgeted up to the maximum salary point.

Teachers will get the lion’s share of the pay rise, with the Teachers Service Commission allocated 44.2 per cent of the total amount, followed by armed forces at 20.9 per cent while counties will get 18.8 per cent.

Civil servants and state officers will get 8.5 and 4.3 per cent respectively.

This is expected to pile more pressure on the wage bill that has since crossed the Sh1 trillion mark, with SRC forecasting it to hit Sh1.17 trillion up from Sh1.10 trillion.

The government has 968,425 employees this year from 953,041 last year, with an average monthly salary of Sh73,540.

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers has called on SRC and TSC to adhere to teachers’ salary increments by the end of July.

Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori, said teachers are overburdened by high taxes which has resulted in high cost of living.

This is despite the government’s promise to increase the salaries.

“Kuppet demands immediate action by SRC and TSC to conclude the salary increment for teachers that has already been agreed between the union and the President,” Misori said.

“Regrettably and despite assurances, TSC and SRC are still going round in circles even as teachers suffer the burden of increased taxes and high inflation.”

Misori spoke on Tuesday in a press conference held at Kuppet offices in Nairobi.

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He said in May, President William Ruto held a meeting with the union’s National Governing Council and he assured the government’s commitment to award teachers a salary rise of at least 10 per cent upon passage of the Finance Bill.

“We have made numerous correspondences with TSC over the review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and when the President gave it a nod, we thought that Treasury and TSC were aware,” Misori said.

He said there is no further delay and TSC must occasion a meeting with Kuppet to work out the increment and have the same factored in teachers’ salaries this month.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers demanded a 60 per cent salary increase for teachers as per the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The union secretary general Collins Oyuu said the teachers’ pay was last reviewed in 2016/2017.

“The teachers received the last salary increment in two phases-2016/2017 and 2017/2018 since the increase they were awarded was minimal it was fully paid in two instalments,” Oyuu said.

He called for a review of the 2021-25 collective bargaining agreement, which was signed with non-monetary benefits.

All civil servants are set for a salary increase that could see the highest paid take home with Sh846,720 in a new structure proposed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
Should it be implemented as proposed, the pay review will push the public sector wage bill to a historic high of Sh3.8 billion monthly.
The State Department for Public Service is expected to provide feedback on the proposed remuneration structure which is part of the third public service remuneration and benefits review cycle which started in 2021 and will end in 2025.
Documents indicate that the wage bill will double from the current 1.96 billion to Sh3.84 billion by the time the cycle ends in two years. According to SRC, the new structure will ensure equity and fairness by streamlining allowances and gross pay for various job groups.
Under the new framework, the minimum basic salary for civil servants in the lowest cadre — cleaners, messengers, clerical officers and other subordinate staff in Job Group C (CSG 17) — will be Sh22,447. The highest one can earn in this group will be Sh25,317. Salaries will differ from county to county, with civil servants in Nairobi set to get the highest.
In the highest cadre, Job Group U (CSG3), which includes Principal Secretaries, the Government Spokesman, Director-Generals, Chiefs of Staff and Principal Assistant Secretaries, the minimum basic salary will be raised from the current Sh563,365. The ceiling for this group will be Sh846,720 in Cluster One.

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Salaries for civil servants in middle grade E4 and under Job Group U will also be raised from Sh292,765 to a maximum of Sh563,365. Those in Job Group T — which comprises Deputy Secretaries, Administrative Secretaries and Regional Commissioners among others — the pay will rise from Sh422,050 to Sh584,740 per month for Cluster 1 while their colleagues in Cluster 2 will be getting Sh574,740, up from Sh412,050. For Cluster 3, the earnings will be increased to Sh564,740, up from the current 402,050.
For Job Group S which comprises Directors and County Commissioners, among others, the salaries will shoot from Sh220,499 to Sh287,476 (Nairobi) while cluster 2 and 3 will be from Sh216,499 to Sh283,476 and Sh212,499 to Sh279,476, respectively.
In Job Group R which comprises Senior Deputy Directors and Deputy Directors, the SRC recommends those in Nairobi to get Sh 243,450 up from the current Sh 170,911. For clusters 2 and 3, the pay will rise from Sh 155,911 to Sh 228,450 and Sh 145,911 to Sh 218,450.
In the middle to lower cadres, the pay for those in Job Group K which comprises administrative, assistants, accountants, will jump from Sh62,141 to Sh77,797 in Nairobi, Sh58,441 to Sh74,097 in cluster 2 and Sh 55,241 to Sh 70,897 for cluster 3.
In Job Group J, they will earn Sh59,442 from the current Sh47,572 (Nairobi), Sh 56,942 up from Sh45,072 currently for those in cluster 2 and a raise from Sh43,372 to Sh55,242 for cluster 3.
Last week, President William Ruto had advised against any pay increments for the highly-paid senior State officials, after the People Daily had reported that the SRC had published new proposals for public participation.
In a rejoinder, however, SRC, which is independent of the Executive under the Constitution, said it would continue seeking public comments on the proposed review until July 13 before gazetting the new salary structure for State officers later this month.

The SRC, however, said individual State officers can reject the salary increases out of choice.
“We must separate the role from the specific State officer,” said SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich. “We set pay for a job and not an individual and, therefore, a person can choose not to take the pay rise.”
If the commission gets its way, those in Job Group H —drivers, clerical officers and others — will benefit from an increase from Sh38,409 to Sh48,636 in Nairobi, which is Cluster 1. The amounts will vary from Sh36,209 to Sh46,436 in cluster 2 and Sh35,709 to Sh45,936 in cluster 3.
All the proposals now await a nod from stakeholders after which they will be implemented, most likely this month. To make this happen, the National Treasury has allocated Sh45.2 billion, to be split equally across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years, to fund the salary increases.
Teachers will go home with the bulk of the allocation at Sh17.8 billion, ahead of civil servant counterparts in national and county governments at Sh14 billion and other public officers at Sh12.21 billion.
The Automatic Annual Increment (AAI) stands at an average of three per cent. Institutions whose salary structures will not have been reviewed under this cycle will retain their current structures, with AAI up to the maximum salary points.
Pay review proposals are guided by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are expected to cushion workers for Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) as long as the government can afford to pay the revised rates sustainably.
Between 2021 and 2023, the government froze increases in basic salary structures, allowances and benefits paid in the public sector workers due to the ravages of Covid-19 pandemic.
“SRC, in consultation with the National Treasury, advised on no review of the basic salary structures, allowances and benefits paid in the public sector in the financial year 2021/2022 and 2022/2023,” SRC says.
With the pandemic under control, SRC is now proposing that salaries be reviewed across board. Consequently, it has undertaken a job evaluation review under the current remuneration and benefits review cycle to determine the relative worth of jobs and to also harmonise job grades within and across sectors.
“This includes a review of salary structures to align gross salaries against market positioning and a study on allowances and benefits payable in the public sector,” reads the proposal.
Meanwhile, the salary structure for unionisable staff will be negotiated through Collective Bargaining Negotiations (CBN) in line with existing guidelines.
The framework, SRC says, has been embedded in the Performance Contracting Guidelines for the current financial year, which started last weekend.

SRC is aiming for progressive harmonisation and equity in civil service pay. In phase three of the recommendations, it will ensure progressive harmonisation in house allowance rates across geographical regions. It will also reduce the number of clusters from four to three, so that those currently in Cluster 4 effectively join Cluster 3.
In phase four, SRC proposes to review the rates of house allowance for the lower job grades (CSG 12 and below) to progressively harmonise them for comparable jobs with in the public service.

Implementation of the proposed review has been phased to ensure the pay reviews are sustainable and the government can comfortably pay the enhanced rates until 2025 when another review will be due.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has defended the proposal to increase salaries for top government officials.

This was after a proposal was turned down by President William Ruto, especially for elected leaders.

Speaking on Saturday, SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said Covid-19 had affected the salaries review but now things are back to normal.

She said the review was part of an earlier cycle that had been stopped due to Covid-19.

“SRC set a four-year review cycle and we are now in the third review cycle. There was a salary structure freeze due to Covid-19. The commission has now reviewed the Salaries as required,” she said.

On Friday, President William Ruto put on hold the proposed salary review for senior state officials.

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Ruto however said that can wait but salaries of teachers, police officers, KDF officers and other civil servants will be adjusted upwards by 7-10 per cent effective July 1.

“I know there is a proposal by SRC for the increase of salaries of different cadres of both civil servants and other public servants. Because of the economic times we live in, we have approved that salaries of other civil servants can be adjusted beginning tomorrow,” he said.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s salary was to increase from the current Sh1,227,188 to Sh1,367,438.

Other State Officers such as the Attorney General, the head of the Public Service, Cabinet Secretaries and the Secretary to the Cabinet were to receive a 7 per cent salary increment.

They were to earn Sh990,000 up from the current Sh924,000.

Principal Secretaries, the Inspector-General and the Director General of the National Intelligence Service were to get an increment of Sh54,656 on top of their current Sh765,188.

Other top officials in the Police Service who were set to benefit are the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service, and The Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations who were to receive a Sh62,983 pay rise.

The state officers were to get a cumulative salary increment of 14% over a 2-year period.

President William Ruto has put on hold the proposed salary review for senior state officials.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission has proposed a review of the salaries of senior state officials including the president, his deputy, other members of the cabinet, MPs and MCAs.

Ruto however said that can wait but salaries of teachers, police officers, KDF officers and other civil servants will be adjusted upwards by 7-10 per cent effective July 1.

“I know there is a proposal by SRC for the increase of salaries of different cadres of both civil servants and other public servants. Because of the economic times we live in, we have approved that salaries of other civil servants can be adjusted beginning tomorrow,” he said.

The President Spoke on Friday during the launch of eCitizen services at KICC.

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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s salary was to increase from the current Sh1,227,188 to Sh1,367,438.

Other State Officers such as the Attorney General, the head of the Public Service, Cabinet Secretaries and the Secretary to the Cabinet were to receive a 7 per cent salary increment.

They were to earn Sh990,000 up from the current Sh924,000.

Principal Secretaries, the Inspector-General and the Director General of the National Intelligence Service were to get an increment of Sh54,656 on top of their current Sh765,188.

Other top officials in the Police Service who were set to benefit are the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service, and The Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations who were to receive a Sh62,983 pay rise.

The proposed increment is slated to occur in two phases.

The state officers are to get a cumulative salary increment of 14% over a 2-year period.

A row has erupted between the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) over a proposal to scrap non-practice allowances in public service. PSC has since accused SRC of trying to usurp its mandates and roles and those of County Service Boards (CPSBs), County Assembly Service Boards (CASBs) and other commissions in the management and operations of aactivities in the public sector.

Non-practice allowance was intended to facilitate attraction and retention of key professionals in public service such as doctors and judges. While the government was worried at the time of introducing the perks that trained professional would go into private practice, making it hard for the low-paying public sector to attract top talent, SRC, in proposals published late last year, argues that the situation has since changed and there is, therefore, no need to continue paying the allowances.

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SRC has been working hard to reduce excess allowances that comprise about 10 per cent of the government’s wage bill. In its argument, the commission claims it is no longer difficult to attract and retain critical professionals in the public service compared to the previous years and as such, the non-practice perks should be scrapped to get rid of unnecessary spending by the government. Commission’s proposal, which is in line with Article 230(4)(b) and (5) of the Constitution and Sections 11 and 12 of SRC Act, hopes to streamline its management and administration to improve transparency, accountability, equity and fairness.

But in a memorandum, Public Service Commission chief executive Simon Rotich claims SRC has zero mandate to dictate contractual terms between them and their employees. The memorandum dated March 3, addressed to SRC’s chief executive Anne Gitau, Rotich upholds that it is PSC’s mandate to review and make recommendations to the National government in respect of conditions of service, code of conduct and qualifications of officers in the public service.

“In the instant case and in respect of public officers, PSC, other commissions, CPSBs and CASBs have not proposed to review the allowances payable to the public officers and neither has there been a consensus that the same should be reviewed or abandoned. It is only at the point of a decision having been reached that advice may then be sought from SRC,” Rotich says.

Rotich, in the memorandum, insists that SRC’s constitutional mandates are to set and regularly review the remuneration and benefits of State officers and advise the national and county governments on remuneration and benefits of all public officers.

“Article 230 (4) of the Constitution makes a distinction between the constitutional mandate of SRC with respect to state officers and with respect to public officers. Therefore, it is PSC’s considered position that the exercise of SRC’s mandates must be read together with PSC’s mandates,” the memorandum. Rotich argues that SRC cannot take up the role of advising the National government on remuneration and benefits of public officers before engaging PSC and before the commission reviews conditions of service, code of conduct and qualifications of officers in the public service for purposes of making recommendations to the national government.

He cites that PSC, being the employer of public officers, has the responsibility of setting the remuneration of their employees, a contract that SRC cannot interfere with as its only mandate is advisory. “SRC cannot be a third party to an employment contract and seek to review remuneration of public officers, that has been set and agreed upon by an employer and an employee in the public service, without the concurrence of the initial approval of PSC,”

Rotich added in the letter. PSC further argues that SRC cannot abolish an allowance that it has been paying to public officers which forms part of the terms of employment. “The allowance cannot be withdrawn at will without consulting the employee who must consent before a variation of the said terms of engagement,” the memorandum further reads.

Rotich told the SRC boss that at the time, PSC, CPSBs and CASBs have not proposed to review allowances payable to public officers and neither has there been a consensus that the same should be reviewed and or abolished.

SRC’s proposal has also been rejected by other professional bodies such as Kenya Medical Association (KAM) which describes the abolition of the perks as a direct insult to critical professions. KMA says the commission should keep off giving guidance to PSC as it could infringe negotiations for a fair wage among public officers. Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union has described the move as unethical and colonial in nature. KMPDU insists that SRC cannot review salaries of critical professionals in the public service backwards.

The Court has stopped government’s move to slash nursery school teachers’ salaries by 50 per cent.

The employment and Labour Relations Court halted the plan by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission that would directly affect over 45,000 ECD teachers.

Justice Ann Mwaure in her ruling ordered the government to retain the current salaries until a case filed by Kenya Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) chair Omboko Milemba is heard and determined.

Milemba sued the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) after it recommended a review of salaries.

The circular affected 45000 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) who now risk a 50 per cent pay cut.

“An interim order is hereby issued suspending the implementation of the SRC circular dated December 10, 2021, pending the hearing and determination of this application,” Justice Mwaure ruled.

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In the case, Milemba stated that the SRC circular meant that a nursery school teacher will be earning half their salary, meaning some will get lower salaries than house helpers who earn at least Sh 13,000. He stated that the minimum wage set by the law is at least Sh 13,572.

The court heard that there are 43, 874 ECDE teachers employed by the 47 county governments. Only 14, 919 are permanent and pensionable while the majority- 28955 are on three years contracts.

An ECDE teacher takes home at least 15,000 per month.

The court heard that the circular meant that they will not walk home with Sh7,835 while those who have senior roles and with over 12 years of experience will go home with between Sh15, 224, and Sh19,090 per month.

On January 13 this year, SRC sent a circular to all county governors. It claimed that some of the counties were paying the EDCE teachers above their pay grade.

“It has come to our attention that some counties are paying salaries to ECDE teachers which are way above the salary structure advised by SRC and communicated on December 10, 2021…Recruitment and promotion of ECDE teachers to be undertaken subject to affordability, fiscal sustainability and in line with the approved job description for each role as reviewed,” the circular read in part.

In the case, Milemba argued that nursery school teachers would suffer adding that this is a mockery to men and women entrusted to nurture children from their initial years at school.

He states that SRC never consulted the stakeholders nor did it conduct public participation.

“The applicant avers that performing teachers are motivated teachers; the imposition of this unilateral variation or reduction of their salaries is a huge de-motivator and would have the unforeseen effect of deteriorated standards and quality of education in the early childhood education level in this country,” said Milemba.

Milemba who is also the Emuhaya constituency MP told the court that already some counties have implemented the circular.