Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Tuesday, March 25 revealed that the latest Principal Secretary nominations and subsequent increase to State Departments were linked to service delivery to the citizens by the government.
While speaking to a collegiate of Ukambani radio stations, Mwaura announced that the move by President William Ruto to create seven new State Departments in a recent government reshuffle was for the benefit of Kenyans and not for their detriment.
“The move by President Ruto to create new State Departments was for the betterment of Kenyans. They were created because the government wants to improve service delivery to Kenyans,” Mwaura noted.
“Even before the nominations, there was no prior indication that the PSs will decrease. The increase was according to how the government sees fit to provide services to its citizens,” he added.
However, the underside of the new positions means that there is an increased burden on the Kenyan taxpayer. A PS in Kenya earns a monthly salary of Ksh792,519 which translates to an annual cost of Ksh9.5 million per PS.
With the new entrants, it will cost the taxpayer Ksh66.6 million a year in salaries. This translates to the total annual wage bill for the 57 state departments exceeding Ksh765 million.
On Thursday, March 20, Ruto reshuffled six PSs and nominated 14 new PSs with half of that number set to occupy the new State Departments.
The newly created state departments include the State Department for Public Investments and Assets Management, which will be under the National Treasury. Cyrell Wagunda Odede has been nominated to lead it.
Other new offices include the State Department for National Government Coordination under the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, to be headed by Ahmed Abdisalan Ibrahim; the State Department for Justice, Human Rights, and Constitutional Affairs under the Office of the Attorney General, with Judith Pareno as the nominee; and the State Department for Science, Research, and Innovation within the Ministry of Education, to be led by Abdulrazak Shaukut.
The Ministry of Roads and Transport will now have a State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development, where Teresiah Mbaika is the nominee. The Public Service Ministry will oversee the newly established State Department for Special Programmes, with Ismael Madey nominated to head it.
The last of the seven is the State Department for Children Welfare Services under the Ministry.
Beyond their salaries, PSs enjoy various perks that come at a great cost to taxpayers.
For instance, those in key ministries such as the Interior, National Treasury, and Foreign Affairs receive an additional responsibility allowance of Sh100,000 per month, adding another Sh1.2 million per year for each of them.
PSs are also entitled to official cars of up to 3,000cc, fully maintained by the government. Their medical cover is among the most generous in the public sector, providing up to Sh10 million for inpatient care, Sh300,000 for outpatient services, and additional allowances for maternity, dental, and optical care.
The PSs are set to undergo vetting before approval by the National Assembly.
