Civil Servants Union Rejects New SRC Salary Review, Threatens Nationwide Strike

The Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) has strongly opposed the government’s newly announced salary review, accusing the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) of bypassing the law by approving revised pay and benefits without involving the union.

Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, July 20, UKCS Secretary General Lawrence Nyaguti said the SRC’s circular issued on July 17 was irregular because it was released before ongoing salary negotiations had been concluded.

He warned that unless the government withdraws the circular and returns to the negotiating table, civil servants could stage the first nationwide strike in the union’s history.

Nyaguti maintained that the union was never consulted before the SRC announced the new salary structure, arguing that the commission ignored the legally required process of engaging workers’ representatives before making decisions affecting their remuneration.

According to the union, negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are still underway, meaning no final agreement has been reached between the government and civil servants. Nyaguti said the SRC’s decision appeared to reflect the government’s position alone rather than a mutually negotiated settlement.

He insisted that salary negotiations remain incomplete and that the CBA has not yet been signed, making the implementation of new salary scales and benefits premature.

“The commission acted outside the law by issuing the circular without involving the union. We cannot accept a salary review that has not gone through the agreed negotiation process,” Nyaguti said.

The dispute comes just days after the SRC released a circular announcing revised salary structures for public officers under the 2026/2027 financial year.

According to the circular dated Friday, July 17, the new salary scales took effect from July 1, 2026, with the revised salaries expected to be reflected in the August payroll.

Under the new pay structure, officers in senior job groups will receive the largest increases in basic salary. Employees in Grade E4 will earn between Ksh312,000 and Ksh576,000 per month in basic pay, while those in Grade E3 will receive salaries of up to Ksh400,000 before allowances are added.

For officers serving in Nairobi under Grade E3, house allowances could reach as much as Ksh100,000 per month, significantly increasing their overall earnings.

Mid-level officers in Grades C1 to C5 will earn basic monthly salaries ranging from Ksh38,000 to Ksh105,000 depending on their job group and salary point.

Meanwhile, the lowest-paid employees in Grade A3 will earn between Ksh20,600 and Ksh23,700 in basic salary. They will also continue receiving house allowances of up to Ksh3,000, depending on their duty station.

The SRC said house allowances will continue to be determined using its three-cluster classification system.

Under the framework, Nairobi remains in Cluster One, making it the highest-paying region for house allowances due to its higher cost of living.

Cluster Two includes the cities of Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret, together with the municipalities of Nyeri, Thika, Kisii, Malindi and Kitale. All remaining counties and towns fall under Cluster Three, where lower house allowance rates apply.

The commission also clarified that salary adjustments affecting unionisable employees will only be implemented through negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements. As a result, the timing of implementation may differ across institutions depending on when individual CBAs are concluded.

Beyond the salary review, the SRC directed all government institutions that have not yet migrated to the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to complete the transition. The commission said the move is intended to improve payroll management, eliminate fraudulent payments and strengthen accountability within the public service.

The revised salary structure is part of the Fourth Remuneration Review Cycle, a government programme aimed at harmonising pay across the public service while ensuring compensation remains sustainable within the country’s fiscal framework.

The review follows President William Ruto’s directive to improve the salaries of civil servants amid rising living costs. The implementation process was assigned to the National Treasury together with the Ministry of Public Service.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku had earlier indicated that the review would go beyond basic salaries to include key allowances paid to government employees.

The SRC circular has now confirmed that both basic salaries and allowances will be adjusted under the latest review, although the union’s rejection of the process now threatens to delay implementation if the dispute is not resolved.

With the UKCS maintaining that negotiations are still ongoing and warning of industrial action, the standoff sets the stage for fresh tensions between the government and thousands of civil servants over the implementation of the new pay package.

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