President Ruto accused of playing politics in rejecting salary reviews

President William Ruto has been accused of playing politics by rejecting salary reviews for top government officials. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had proposed a salary raise, but President Ruto denied the proposal, stating that the wage gap between low-earning public servants and high earners is too large and needs moderation.
Yatta MP Basil Ngui criticised President Ruto’s stance, claiming that he is not being genuine and is instead trying to deceive Kenyans into thinking he has their best interests in mind. Ngui labelled it as a political gimmick, where President Ruto asks the SRC to increase salaries only to publicly reject it later.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s Daybreak show, Ngui pointed out that the President, Cabinet Secretaries (CSs), and Deputy President (DP) enjoy various perks such as free fuel for their cars and government-covered housing maintenance costs. These privileges are not extended to lower-ranking officials.
Mathare MP Anthony Oluoch also weighed in on the matter, asserting that President Ruto does not have the constitutional authority to obstruct an independent institution like the SRC from fulfilling its duties unless through a parliamentary process. Oluoch emphasised that the SRC is simply acting according to its constitutional role, and if President Ruto disagrees with their proposal, he should seek legitimate channels to challenge the decision rather than impede their work.
According to Oluoch, the President should defer to the SRC and let them carry out their duties. As stated in Article 95, the President does not have the authority to enact laws; he can only create policies. Oluoch suggests that the President should approach his Cabinet and discuss the current state of the economy, aiming to move from point A to B. In this discussion, it could be proposed that the SRC suspend a policy temporarily, allowing for parliamentary debate.
Oluoch emphasises that a roadside declaration from the President cannot invalidate what the constitution has entrusted to the SRC. He regards this as an executive conspiracy and accuses Ruto of going back on his promise to uphold independent institutions. Oluoch argues that Ruto’s actions have compromised parliament by manipulating its composition in favour of his own interests.
The key issue at hand is whether or not this government truly respects institutional independence. According to Oluoch, it does not. He asserts that parliament has already been captured, with imbalanced numbers preventing proper oversight and resulting in laws being passed without due consideration for their societal impact.
President Ruto dismissed the salary increment proposal put forth by SRC but indicated that he had instructed them to develop a standardised salary structure for government officials in line with international standards.
“For other State officers, myself, my deputy, ministers, PSs and other members of Parliament should wait patiently. The salary increase will be delayed,” he stated.
The President also sanctioned the proposal made by the SRC to raise the monthly salaries of lower-ranking civil servants by 7 – 10 percent effective from July 1, 2023.
He argued that this decision was necessary to safeguard workers from the current challenging economic conditions in the country.
In response, Lyn Mengich, Chairperson of the SRC, clarified that the commission was simply implementing a prearranged cycle of salary hikes for public servants.
Mengich emphasised that President Ruto has every right to seek information on harmonising the wage bill across public services but cannot dictate or give instructions to the commission regarding its mandate.
“The commission established a four-year review cycle for increments and we are currently in the third cycle…there was a freeze on salary structures due to Covid-19…the commission has reviewed salaries as required,” Mengich explained.
“The President plays a role in public participation. We have engaged with his office. He provided feedback and requested certain information. Whenever the President requires a report from the SRC, such as in this case regarding compression ratio, it is within appropriate context. He has every right to participate in public engagements and seek information.”