Kenyans To Pay More Taxes As SRC Recommends KSh 780k Salary For CASs, KSh 165k Allowance

• SRC recommended a KSh 780,000 salary along with a KSh 165,000 house allowance for Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs) in Kenya
• CASs will also be entitled to official transportation, including a government-provided vehicle
• In addition to the salary and house allowance, CASs will receive various benefits, including medical coverage and other allocations

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has informed the Public Service Commission (PSC) that Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs) nominated by President William Ruto will be entitled to a gross pay of KSh 780,000.

Despite recent efforts by the government to lower the national wage bill, the SRC, under the direction of Lyn Mengich, performed an evaluation and determined that the remuneration of a CAS should be restricted to KSh 780,00.

The salary breakdown consists of KSh 459,113 for basic pay, KSh 165,000 allocated for housing allowance, and KSh 155,887 designated for salary market adjustment.

Other allowances and benefits

As outlined in a correspondence sent to prominent government figures, such as Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, CASs will have access to official transportation, including a government-provided vehicle with an engine capacity not exceeding 3000cc.

"SRC has determined the monetary worth of the job of a CAS at Grade F1 and would like to advise on the attendant remuneration and benefits structure,” Mengich said in the letter as reported by Citizen.

“The monthly remuneration advised herein is fixed for the term of office of the CAS unless reviewed and advised by SRC. For the purposes of gratuity and pension, the pensionable emolument shall be based on the monthly basic salary.”

In addition, CASs will receive extensive yearly medical coverage, including KSh 10 million for hospitalisation and KSh 300,000 for outpatient treatment, as well as provisions for maternity, dental, and optical services.

This medical package covers the CAS's spouse and up to four dependent children under the age of 25.

This development follows the recent passing of a bill by the National Assembly, which legalised the appointment of CASs amidst ongoing national dialogue regarding the unsustainable national wage bill.

SRC hosts conference to reduce wage bill

In other related news, SRC hosted the third wage bill conference in Nairobi, aiming to realign the national wage bill with constitutional requirements

SRC Chairperson Lyn Mengich emphasised the conference's goal to produce resolutions conducive to achieving a 35% public wage bill to revenue ratio

The wage bill conference coincides with a nationwide doctors' strike, severely impacting public healthcare services

Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke