SRC proposes to increase travel allowance for State officers

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) is now proposing an increment in travel allowances for State officers who are assigned duties in towns outside the cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

In its proposal, SRC is seeking to revise the current rates which have been in use since 2017 and were based on job groups as well as include more towns where hire rates will be applicable.

“Pursuant to SRC’s mandate, and in line with the principles set out in Article 230(5) of the constitution, and Section 12 of SRC Act, 2011, SRC has reviewed DSA rates in the public service,” says SRC.

In the current rates being used, those within Nairobi are said to pocket 67% more than the ones visiting other towns which do not have the city status.

The changes will see daily local travel allowances go up by between Ksh.1,200 and Ksh.8,000 for government officials whose assignments are outside cities, county headquarters, Malindi and Naivasha.

The proposed hikes will raise the minimum per diems for local travel by between 40 per cent and 66.7 per cent, depending on the job groups.

The commission forwarded their proposal to the National Treasury and Office of the Head of Public Service for them to submit their views on the same.

If approved, the proposal will ultimately result in a further increase in the already bloated public wage bill in an already struggling economy. The country’s total wage bill hit Ksh.1.055 trillion in the last Financial Year 2021/2022.

Meanwhile, the proposal has not indicated any intended changes in the travel allowances for State officers during international trips.

The per diems which are also identified as daily subsistence allowance (DSA), are meant to facilitate public officers to attend to official assignments away from their duty stations within the country and outside of the country.