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In a move that is set to spark mixed reactions, the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has increased the salary of Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) by Sh14,000.
According to the SRC advisory to the Public Service Commission (PSC), the monthly salary of a CAS will now stand at Sh780,000 up from the previous Sh765,188.
“SRC has determined the monetary worth of the job of CAS at grade F1 and would like to advise on the attendant remuneration and benefits structure,” SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich wrote to PSC chair Anthony Muchiri on March 14.
This will cost taxpayers Sh468 million a year in salaries to remunerate the 50 appointed CASs.
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This increase means that CAS appointees will be earning more than Principal Secretaries, whose monthly pay stands at Sh766,000.
In the ministry leadership hierarchy, the CAS is directly under the Cabinet Secretary and above the Principal Secretary.
However, the increase is likely to raise concerns about the widening gap between the salaries of top government officials and the majority of civil servants.
The recently appointed CASs are among the six highest-paid public servants in Kenya. Their bosses, the Cabinet Secretaries earn Sh924,000.
Ruto explains why he appointed politicians as CASs
President Ruto on Thursday, March 23, said that politicians who had served in other capacities understood how to deliver services to Kenyans.
Speaking after presiding over the swearing-in ceremony of the 50 CASs at State House, the head of state noted that though some of his appointees had lost out in the 2022 General Election, he believes in second chances.
The head of state added that he would not condemn politicians who failed in the election and would give them a chance to serve in new capacities.
READ: Details of multimillion benefits CASs will enjoy in office
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“I know some of you participated in interviews (in nominations or elections) to try and serve the people of Kenya in various capacities. You may not have been successful but you attended the interview at the Public Service Commission and you were successful and that is why you are serving.
“I refuse to condemn anybody who attended one interview and did not succeed...that if they did not succeed in one interview, they are not fit to serve in any other capacity. I think each and every one of us deserves another chance to serve the republic of Kenya,” he said.
President Ruto said he deliberately appointed some of the politicians because of their experience in politics and serving Kenyans.