Suleiman Shahbal when he campaigned at Changamwe on July 9. [Photo/facebook.com]
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) should cut further salaries of senior government officials.
Mombasa gubernatorial candidate Suleiman Shahbal welcomed SRC’s salary cuts for senior executives, MPs and MCAs but said the new wages were still high.
On Monday, MPs were hit hardest when SRC slashed the earnings of State officers, including the president, to save the country Sh8.8 billion every year.
Salaries paid to all positions of elected leaders- including the president and his deputy, governors and elected representatives at the national and county levels- will also be fixed for their term.
“The abolition of sitting and mileage allowances for elected officials by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission is much welcomed although it comes late,” Shahbal said at Frere town, Mombasa while campaigning on Monday.
“However, I believe the recommended Salaries are still very high and should be reduced further when you consider salaries paid to low income earners.”
“Public service should not be a way of creating wealth by paying huge salaries; it should remain service to the people. If someone wants to make more money, let them be entrepreneurs or try private sector.”
The changes, which will be effected after the August general election, also affected State officers as cabinet secretaries, the Attorney General, the chief of defence forces, the military service commanders and heads of police.
At the national level, the president’s pay has been cut by Sh206,250 to Sh1,443,750 from Sh1,650,000.
At the National Assembly, the salary of the highest earnings officers, the Speakers, has been slashed by Sh165,000 to Sh1,155,000 from Sh1,320,000 while at the county level, a governor will now earn Sh924,000 down from Sh1,056,000.
MPs salaries have been pegged at Sh621,250 and the sitting allowances scrapped off.