Civil servants are due for a pay hike after the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) fixes accommodation charges.
According to the new tariff, civil servants in Nairobi in job group K will now receive Sh16,500 a month in housing allowance from Sh10,000.
Nairobi-based social workers in job group A will receive Sh3,750 to Sh3,750 per month, which may be attractive to many considering it is below the prevailing market rates.
The new rate of housing allowance will apply to all government employees except national and district government employees, including government corporations from the date of implementation. Each employer in the public service must enter into Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) with their respective unions to implement what is reviewed/agreed upon here,” the SRC said in a circular.
Under review, the housing allowance will be the same for civil servants living in all former major municipalities including Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii, Malindi and Kitale. For example, civil servants in job group K in the former nine municipalities will see their allowance rise from Sh12,000 to Sh12,000.
His colleagues in other former municipalities will get Sh5,800, up from Sh3,500.
Government officials are putting pressure on housing due to rising rents for public and private units.
For example, the State Housing Authority has increased the rent on all state-owned properties by 10 percent starting April 1, 2022. The state has maintained that since 2001, there have been several reviews of housing allowances for civil servants, but the amount they have paid. rent has stagnated.
At the same time, civil servants will receive the same hardship allowance after the SRC removes the basic salary system from such payments.
“Hardship allowance must be paid equally for all public service equivalents in civil servants and public administration. The SRC has removed the allowance as a percentage of the basic salary,” the commission said.
The lowest-ranking employee in the occupational group will receive the same hardship allowance of Sh2,800 per month, while the highest-ranking employee in the occupational group will receive Sh60,000. Mid-level officers in job groups K, L and M will earn Sh10,900, Sh12,300 and Sh14,650 respectively.
The housing and hardship allowance review is part of a series of changes being implemented by the SRC to end hardship in public funding. In December, the SRC announced changes to some meal and holiday allowances.
Under the change, civil servants who receive daily subsistence allowance while working outside their duty office will no longer receive meal allowance.
