Service delivery in various county governments is likely to be disrupted after the County Government Workers Union of Kenya (CGWUK) issued a strike notice on Wednesday.
The union warned that if the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Council of Governors (CoG) do not address the current stalemate, operations in devolved units could come to a standstill in the next seven days.
CGWUK is demanding a salary increase, accusing the CoG and SRC of sidelining and discriminating against county workers, particularly in the implementation of salary adjustments under phase four of the third remuneration and benefits cycle.
They noted that their counterparts in the national government recently received a salary increment, with allowances backdated to July 1, 2025, while county government workers were excluded.
The union also criticised the SRC for neglecting county workers in salary reviews, despite approving new salaries and allowances for national government civil servants.
Ruba Duba, CGWUK Secretary General, warned of a likely confrontation between the union and county employers, citing the non-implementation of the agreed salary adjustments.
“The implementation was to be effective from July 1, 2025. The CoG has displayed clear negligence, as outlined in the SRC circular issued on December 19, 2025,” Duba said.
The dispute comes as civil servants in Kenya’s national government start 2026 with a pay rise, following SRC approval of new salaries and allowances for Phase I of the 2025–2029 remuneration review cycle. At its December 19, 2025, meeting, the SRC approved adjustments to basic salaries and leave allowances for civil servants across all grades.
The revised salary structure covers grades from CSG1 to CSG17 and other designated job groups, with allowances based on location and job classification.
The changes include a Salary Market Adjustment (SMA) that consolidates entertainment, domestic servant, and extraneous allowances into a single, streamlined payment.
Under the new structure, house allowances are divided into three clusters: Cluster 1 for Nairobi, Cluster 2 for major cities and key municipalities, and Cluster 3 for all other areas. Civil servants in Nairobi will benefit the most, while those in smaller towns and rural regions will receive lower rates, reflecting cost-of-living differences.
For instance, employees in higher grades, such as CSG4, can expect a basic salary of between Ksh185,690 and Ksh396,130, with house allowances up to Ksh140,600 for Nairobi residents.
Lower-grade workers, such as those in CSG15, will see salaries rise to between Ksh21,120 and Ksh26,250, with house allowances up to Ksh4,500.
