Councils face uphill task as perks increased

The recent salary increment for council employees has raised questions on the capability of local authorities to pay.

Talks between the Association of Local Government Employers and the Local Government Workers Union agreed to increase the workers’ perks by between 40 and 60 per cent.

Many of the councils are struggling to even pay the current salaries.

Long-serving finance committee chairman at the Nairobi City Council, Mr Mutunga Mutungi, said ironically the current salaries have been paid using overdrafts.

“Councils have been using overdrafts to pay the salaries, it is not realistic,” he said.

He said danger was looming if there are no avenues to raise the funds.

Agreement

“The councils had not formed any new avenues to raise funds.”

The pay increase agreement, which was brokered by a special team of negotiators picked by the Minister for Labour, will be signed after the committee submits its findings to the appointing authority for ratification.

The workers were represented by their long-serving secretary-general and seasoned negotiator Boniface Munyao, while the employers were led by Kisii mayor Samuel Nyangweso.

The new perks are to be backdated to September last year.

The agreement was reached following hard bargaining from both sides in three meetings held in Nairobi and Malindi.

The union was demanding an increment of between 100 and 150 per cent but the employers were offering five per cent.