If you are employed by the Government of Kenya, you are placed into categories, which have different salaries attached to them, commonly referred to as Job Group”.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) is the main determinant of the job groups and how much civil servants should get.
Following a civil service job evaluation by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), there has been a raft of changes which merged some job groups and enhanced salaries and allowances of some cadres.
The SRC graded jobs in all the public sector into 19 categories with the lowest-paid civil servant in grade B1 and the highest in grade E4.
The new salary structure above for Kenyan civil servants will be implemented on four phases which started on 1st July of 2017.
There are more than 700,000 civil servants across all sectors in Kenya.
SRC covers the entire Public Sector that is clustered into seven sectors;
The Civil Service
County Government
Service and Regulatory State Corporations
Commercial and Strategic Corporations
Constitutional Commission
Independent Offices and Teaching Service
The Disciplined services
Public Universities, Research and Tertiary Education Institutions
Job groups in Kenya
Job Group A, B, C & D (B1)
This is the lowest job group in Kenya and contains very low-skilled basic workers.
Job Group E (B2)
Job Group F (C1)
Job Group G (C2)
Job Group H (C3)
This is the entry-level for a person with a diploma. This is, however, a person that will undergo on the job training after graduation for a while before they are fully absorbed into the job industry.
Job Group J (C4)
This group includes professionals that have a higher academic qualification and a bit of working experience. This forms the largest percentage among the working population.
Job Group K (C5)
This is the entry-level for a person with a degree. This person also requires an on the job training similarly to the job group H person. After serving for a while as graduate trainees, they get confirmed and the salary increases.
Job Group L (D1)
Job Group M (D2)
Job Group N (D3), Job Group P (D4), Job Group Q (D5)
Senior Management/Functional Heads i.e Deputy Director
Job Group R (E1), Job Group S (E2), Job Group T (E3)
Top Management/Executives. May include positions of Secretary (Technical Role) and Director.
Job Group U-V (E4)
This is high-level management positions. May include positions of Director General (DG) / Principal Administrative Secretary (PAS), Administrative Head of State Department/Ministry and the Head of the Public Service as the topmost position.
Types of allowances
As much as allowances are tailored to fit the different professions in the different fields, they rarely change during salary reviews.
These are the elements that bring a difference in the total money one receives at the end of the day and include;
House allowance
Depending on the job, this may be substituted by giving the employees housing in the work premises or near the workplace. If it has to be in monetary value, it differs across the job groups.
Commuter allowance
This covers the transport expenses to and from work and throughout all official errands. Some firms alternate this by having a means of transport to pick and drop their staff and also run all official errands.
Leave allowance
All employees are expected to get paid leave every year in the agreed sequence that differs with the firm in question.
Other allowances that bring a difference in how much in total a civil servant receives at the end of the day include;
Hardship allowance
For civil servants in hardship areas like remote and rural areas.
Transfer allowance
Upon receiving a transfer, all employees should receive an allowance to facilitate their movement and settling in.
Risk allowance
This is given to health workers who get exposed to various health risks in the course of their work.
Veterinary personnel also have a provision for risk allowance.
There is also entertainment and uniform allowances.
