Doctors protesting over poor pay/FILE
The commission’s vice-chairman Daniel Ogutu said the exercise due to kick off on Thursday seeks to interview close to 90 State officers with a view to get the net worth of their jobs.
He stated that the interviews will be conducted in accordance with Article 230 of the Constitution and a new salary structure will then be developed based on the outcome of their survey.
“It is significant to note that the exercise will assist the commission link pay to the requirements of a job and most importantly the results will be used to grade the structures, develop compensation mechanisms and review remunerations and benefits for state officers,” he said.
He pointed out that the exercise which will be done in five stages will look into job analysis, job documentation, job evaluation and grading, quality assurance and appeals.
“We are going to get the true worth of the jobs as they mandated us in the Constitution. The scope, magnitude, uniqueness, sensitivity and impact of this exercise to the national agenda cannot be over-emphasised,” he said.
“By carrying out this exercise, Kenya will be the first country in Africa to carry out an evaluation for positions that are constitutional in nature.”
A commissioner at the body Isaiah Kubai indicated that the current wage bill is weighing down the country as it constituted 70 percent of the national budget.
“This country is concerned about the total wage bill as it constitutes 70 percent of the annual national budget. The country is doing very badly on this front because we need to bring it down to less than 60 percent,” he said.
“We have left no money for development and that is the concern for the government and all of us. Currently we are being taxed to the core to be able to sustain the salaries that were recently awarded. It is not the government that produces money. It is removed from our pockets.”
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission was established with the mandate to set and regularly review the remuneration and benefits of all State officers and to advise the national and county governments on the remuneration and benefits of all other public officers.
The job evaluation will cover positions created in the Constitution and jobs categorised as State offices, the result of which will determine the comparable worth of the jobs to facilitate development and implementation of equitable and harmonised remuneration and benefits structure.
It is set to produce a rationalised, harmonised, defensible and equitable job-grading structure.
The results of the job evaluation and subsequent grading will be used as a basis for grading the structures, developing compensation structures and setting and reviewing of remuneration and benefits, for the State offices.
About The Author
