The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) has slammed the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) over the freeze of salary increments for civil servants.
In a statement on Friday, July 19, 2024, the Union registered its displeasure with the action taken by the remunerations body, saying it was time to occupy the SRC premises on Ngong Road.
“SRC is the most insensitive institution mandated with workers welfare in Kenya. You quietly increase the salaries of state Officers even when they don’t need it but on civil servants, you are always lurking in the shadows like ghosts craving to impoverish them more. Unfortunate,” the Union stated.
They added: “GenZ uprising asked for a review of state Officers’ salaries whom you have given astronomical salaries at the expense of the poor working class called civil servants. It is about time the #Occupyeverywhere includes #OccupySRC.”
Thousands of civil servants were disappointed on Thursday, July 18, 2024, after the salaries commission stopped their planned pay rise for this financial year, citing the lack of funds.
The civil servants were set for a 7 per cent pay rise beginning from July 1, 2024.
SRC in a circular, said they were stopping any salary increments in the financial year 2024/2025, citing fiscal constraints and budget cuts arising from President William Ruto’s decision to withdraw the finance bill 2024.
The commission said the planned salary increment for public servants had been deferred.
“The deferment will only be reviewed upon the availability of funding in the coming financial years,” stated the commission.
The decision, the commission explained, is informed by there being no allocated budget for the implementation of the advised remuneration and benefits for all other public officers for the financial year 2024/2025, which was to take effect in July 2024.
The decision comes just weeks after the SRC halted a planned pay increase for state officers including the President, his deputy, Cabinet Secretaries, governors, MPs, senators and ward representatives.
Clinical officers strike
On July 8, 2024, clinical officers ended their strike that ran for months following an agreement with the Senate and National Assembly Joint Committee on Health to agree to their demands.
Among the demands agreed upon were that all outstanding salaries would be paid in line with the contractual obligations and that no clinical officers would be victimised for participating in the strike.
The freeze by the SRC, therefore, throws a spanner in the works, further complicating the terms of the agreement earlier reached with the clinicians.