Nairobi, KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta has backed the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s recommendation to slash public servants salaries,including elected legislators due to increase of the wage bill.
Addressing the nation at parliamentary buildings on Wednesday, president Uhuru said that it is prudent for the salaries to be slashed due to wage bill which is detrimental to the stability of the country, following the fact that 50% of tax revenues goes to the wage bill.
“Today the wage bill stands at sh. 627 billion annually amounting to 50% of total revenue collected by the government, this staggering amount is used to pay salaries and allowances of 700,00 public officers including those of us who are here. In simple terms,50 percent,of all the money collected as revenue from the Kenyan tax payers goes to the pockets of less than 2%of the country’s total population.”Uhuru said.
“During my term some unions have put pressure on the government to further increase the wage bill to unsustainable levels.”He added.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission report’s recommendation which was presented to the president indicates rationalization of salaries which will oversee legislators salaries slashed after the next polls.
On the other hand, president Uhuru Kenyatta vowed to deal decisively with the drug lords and cartels involved in drug trafficking especially in the coast.
He said that his administration will cooperate with other agencies to deal with the menace after sealing some loopholes at the port of Mombasa.
He urged the judiciary to make the electoral process an easy one in the next polls and avoid being a stumbling block urging Kenyans to unite and those seeking political seats to desist from dividing Kenyans.
