Pay demands will ruin economy, warns Uhuru

President Kenyatta Thursday warned that the incessant clamour for higher pay by MPs, teachers, nurses and other civil servants would adversely affect the country’s development plans.

The warning came as MPs plotted a constitutional amendment to remove themselves from the ambit of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission so that they could have the freedom to set their own salaries without hindrance; and teachers, nurses and local authority workers in some stations went on strike to press demands for better pay.

The President warned that agitation for higher salaries could derail the country. He asked to workers to carefully assess the impact of their deeds, saying: “I appeal to all Kenyans not to lose sight of the big picture in their calls for championing individual and group interests.”

He was categorical that pay demands by public servants was exerting pressure on the government and threatening financing of basic services and development projects.

Meet with mediator

“We must remember that our sectorial demands as counties, interest groups, trade unions and so on have a direct impact on other sectors of our country as well. Let us carefully assess the effects of our demands on other sectors of our national endeavours of our country,” he said.

The President spoke as the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) prepared to meet with a mediator appointed by Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi after launching a strike three days ago.

The two-and-a-half-month-old government has been besieged by a wave of salary demands.

Yesterday, the President led MPs, Senators, Cabinet Secretaries, top civil servant and business leaders in appealing for divine intervention.

“I appeal to Kenyans to pray for God’s guidance and intervention in addressing the critical challenges we are facing today,” he said during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, his first as President.

Only last week, MPs clinched a deal with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission after a two-month squabble over the pay they should earn.

In spite of the deal brokered by Deputy President William Ruto — where MPs dropped their fight to reverse the lower salary effected by the SRC in exchange for a new monthly motor vehicle maintenance that increases their pay packet to what they were demanding — MPs are now preparing to amend the Constitution so they are no longer classified as State Officers.

This will free them to determine their own salaries since they then will not be under the SRC.

Kuppet and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) are also asking the government to pay up the allowances it promised years ago.

Yesterday, Kuppet officials insisted they would press on with the industrial action until an agreeable solution was arrived at.

The officials also met with the Central Organisation of Trade Union last evening to seek support.

Kuppet acting secretary-general Moses Nthurima confirmed they had been invited to meet the mediator at the at the Ministry of Labour offices.

On Wednesday, nurses at the Kenyatta National Hospital also abandoned work after accusing the management of reneging on a salary increment deal reached earlier in April. They vowed to stay away from the wards unless the government pays them their 46 per cent salary increase and 23 per cent house allowance.

Despite the call for workers to drop their strike threats, the President pledged to ensure the cost of living remained low and asked politicians to concentrate on serving the electorate.

The unemployed youth, the poor and hungry and those with disabilities, he said, were all looking up to the elected leaders for solutions to their problems.

“I assure Kenyans that my government is taking all measures to reduce the cost of living to ensure the basic necessities are affordable to all Kenyans.”

“I call upon all leaders at the national and county level to focus on practical ways of improving the lives of their people and especially addressing the plight of the needy and vulnerable members of our society.”