Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has rejected a Kes 14,098 salary increase proposed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in a recent circular published in the Kenya Gazette.
According to the circular, the SRC announced salary raises for various State Officers, including Members of Parliament, Governors, Cabinet Secretaries, and Principal Secretaries
Under the new adjustments, all 349 Members of Parliament will see their salaries rise from Kes 725,502 to Kes 739,600.
On Wednesday, the senator expressed his disinterest in the salary hike in a social media post on X.
Did you read this?
“MPs’ payrise amid chaos” is a bit of outrage hunting @citizentvkenya .
— Edwin Sifuna (@edwinsifuna) July 3, 2024
Let’s be clear what we are talking about here.
The SRC is proposing to add me 14k on my salary.
I didn’t ask for it. I don’t need it. It’s still money, in a country where many have no income, but for… https://t.co/3dxdUBM8Eb
The government implemented the new salary scale on July 1, 2024, a move Senator Sifuna criticized as poorly timed amid public calls for urgent austerity measures.
Despite President William Ruto’s push for austerity measures and his recognition that the current Kes 1 trillion recurrent expenditure hampers economic growth, the SRC's recommended pay hikes suggest little change is imminent.
The pay hikes have sparked anger among Kenyans, particularly the youth, who have taken to the streets and social media to protest the government’s mishandling of the economy, initially triggered by the now-withdrawn Finance Bill 2024.
