The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has projected a Ksh1.17 trillion allocation for government employees under the 2023/2024 fiscal year.
SRC in its second quarter wage bill report stated that the wage bill would be a Ksh70 billion increase from the previous financial year where the payroll stood at Ksh1.1 trillion.
The remuneration commission further projected a consistent rise in salary payments in the coming years. According to the report, the wage bill has progressively risen even from the previous years.
“Generally, wage payments in the public service grew by 4.8 per cent in FY 2021/2022, and are projected to grow further by 6.5 per cent to Ksh 1,100 billion in FY 2022/2023,” read part of the report by SRC.
In the second quarter of the current financial year, the expenditure on wages by the national government was projected at Ksh127.79 billion.
This is a significant increase compared to Ksh 123.53 billion in the same period in the in previous financial year.
Similarly, the total expenditure of county governments in the second quarter of the current financial year is set to increase to Ksh137.73 billion, representing a 52.4 per cent growth in expenditure.
"This growth in PE expenditure is partly attributed to the county government’s expenditure growth in absolute terms," SRC noted in its report.
Meanwhile, an analysis of the economic survey done last year showed that Kenya’s total workforce stood at 12 million with approximately 2 million based in the formal sector.
According to the report, TSC, which is the largest employer in the public service, registered a growth of 2.6 per cent in employment.
Employment in State corporations controlled by the government and parastatal bodies grew by 1.1 per cent each in from the previous year.
"Employment in ministries and other extra-budgetary institutions registered an increase of 2.4 per cent. This was, however, a decelerated growth compared to 7.1 per cent recorded in 2021."
