Auditor General: 47,300 Government employees taking home less than legal salary limit
The report shows that at least 47,300 government employees are taking home less than a third of their gross pay, a violation of the Employment Act 2007, which requires employees to retain at least one-third of their basic salary after deductions.
Thousands of government employees are struggling with a deepening income crisis caused by increased statutory deductions introduced by the Kenya Kwanza administration, a new report by the Auditor General has revealed.
The report shows that at least 47,300 government employees are taking home less than a third of their gross pay, a violation of the Employment Act 2007, which requires employees to retain at least one-third of their basic salary after deductions.
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Auditor General Nancy Gathungu noted that several government institutions have ignored this legal requirement, worsening the financial strain on civil servants.
"The law is clear that every employee must take home at least one-third of their salary, but this has not been observed in many government offices," the report states.
The most affected are police officers, with 36,660 of them receiving less than a third of their salary.
For instance, a police officer earning a gross salary of Sh40,000 took home less than Sh13,333 after deductions.
The crisis extends beyond the police force. The report shows that 3,815 employees at the Ministry of Interior, 2,535 Kenya Prisons Service officers, and 1,275 Immigration Department officers have also been left with a fraction of their earnings.
Other affected institutions include the Judiciary, where 550 employees are struggling with reduced take-home pay, and the Treasury, which has 184 affected staff.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has 165 affected employees, while the Roads Department has 111. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has 100, and 78 employees at the State House are also affected.
The crisis has also hit the National Land Commission (71 affected workers), the Public Service Commission (69), the Office of the Controller of Budget (20), and the Deputy President's Office (42).
Further, 437 employees at the Social Protection Department, 386 at Medical Services, and 222 at the TVET Department are also struggling with lower take-home pay.
Economists warn that the situation could be worse in the private sector, where similar deductions apply. The report links the crisis to new statutory deductions introduced midway through the financial year.
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