Nairobi County workers set for 15pc pay raise

More than 15,000 Nairobi County staff are set to enjoy a 15 percent salary increment from next month.

This comes after City Hall promised to implement a pay raise deal struck between the county government and the Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU) in May 2017, which was later registered in September this year.

Deputy County Secretary and Public Service Management chief officer Leboo Morintat explained that a meeting of the county executive committee held on Thursday, November 29, 2018 adopted the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) registered in September, 2018.

“It is imperative to note that the issue of the CBA has been long outstanding matter going beyond the current administration of Governor Mike Sonko.

“We as a county government need to appreciate the personal effort and highest consideration taken by the governor to increase the remuneration of county employees. Consequently therefore, the CBA shall be implemented in the payroll from the month of January, 2019,” added Mr Morintat, in a circular dated December 13, 2018 and addressed to all the county staff.

The CBA was registered before Labour court’s Judge Nelson Abuodha, paving way for workers from all cadres to get the 15 percent pay increment, bringing to an end a protracted negotiation that started in 2015.

Under the terms of the agreement, the pay rise was to take effect in 2017/2018 financial year, but that never happened even though the county set aside Sh800 million to cater for the CBA.

BUDGET

In light of the new salaries, the deputy county secretary has directed the human resource department to prepare a supplementary budget and submit the registered CBA to the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs for updating the payroll system in January.

“By a copy of this circular, the human resource management department is under instruction to finalise preparation of the supplementary budget which incorporates the new salary and also submit the registered CBA to the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs for updating in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD) system...” he said.

In September, KCGWU Secretary General Roba Duba indicated that the workers were to get the new salaries by October explaining that the registration of the CBA in court in effect meant that it was now a law.

He stated that the CBA is divided into two, monetary and non-monetary terms, which will see the workers also benefit from other perks like leave allowances, medical cover and other related perks.

The former Moyale MP, however, decried that there has been no revision of terms for the former local authority workers who transited to the county government, for close to seven years since 2012.