Starting this July, Cabinet Secretaries and Members of Parliament are set to receive increased salaries and benefits, a move that has sparked considerable public debate.

According to a Gazette Notice dated August 9, 2023, issued by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), state officers will experience these increments beginning from July 1, 2024.

"Monthly remuneration structure for state officers in the Executive of the government will be implemented in the financial year 2024/25 with effect from July 1, 2024," the commission stated in the notice.

This announcement follows heightened public outcry over rising taxes and demands for reduced government spending.

Under the new remuneration structure, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, all 22 Cabinet Secretaries, the Attorney General, and the Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet will see their salaries increase to Sh990,000 from the previous Sh957,000.

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Additionally, Principal Secretaries will now earn Sh819,844, up from Sh792,519.

Significant increases are also set for parliamentary leaders.

The Speaker of the National Assembly and the Senate Speaker will receive Sh1,208,362, up from Sh1,185,327. Both will also benefit from a Sh40 million mortgage, Sh25,000 airtime allowance, and official residences.

Governors will see their salaries rise to Sh990,000 from Sh957,000, while all 349 MPs and 67 senators will have their pay increased from Sh725,502 to Sh739,600.

These enhancements, scheduled to commence in the new financial year, have drawn criticism from various quarters, with many questioning the timing and necessity of the increments amidst broader economic challenges faced by the public.

However, a section of MPs from all sides of the political divide have come out to turn down the SRC offer citing harsh economic times and the untimely manner in which the rise has been effected.

A section of the public thinks they are turning down the pay hike perhaps because of the prevailing economic atmosphere filled by the recent uproar against the proposed Finance Bill 2024.