The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) approved extraneous allowances for the national government administration officers who do extra work to motivate them.
Those set to benefit include Assistant Chiefs and regional commissioners. The news came after President Uhuru Kenyatta directed SRC to consider offering administrative officers field allowances.
The Ministry of Interior indicated while making the announcement that the officers deserved the rise for a job when done.
Some of the duties on the additional responsibilities on their plates included coordination, supervision and reporting of State development projects in their jurisdiction.
These additional responsibilities arose in 2019 after President Uhuru Kenyatta transferred the powers of coordinating national development projects from Deputy President William Ruto’s office to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
As such work from the national level was delegated down the national government administrative structures, to the sub-chiefs.
“The available human resource capacity in the national government administration officers’ structure has been stretched, compelling the administrators to shoulder almost double the usual responsibilities,” Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said in the communication.
This is good news for hundreds of national government administration officers – in the six national government and coordination levels – from the regional commissioner, the county commissioner, sub-county commissioner, assistant county commissioner, the chief and assistant chief.
All these are drawn from 47 counties, 290 sub-counties, 1,450 wards and sub-locations as well as villages.
Sources indicated that the officers will receive between Ksh 7,000 allowances this month for Assistant Chiefs to Ksh 80,000 for regional commissioners.
Dr Kibicho while addressing the media said: “The Ministry of Interior gladly acknowledges this pertinent move geared towards motivating the officers with a view to improving services.”
The increment couldn’t have come at a better time for the officers who apart from ensuring that the government is felt at the grassroot level – prevent crime, arbitrate in disputes and sensitise residents on government programmes.