NAIROBI, Kenya – More than 2,000 government employees went without pay in the financial year ending June 2024, with public university staff bearing the brunt of the crisis, a new report by the Public Service Commission (PSC) has revealed.
According to the Annual Public Service Payroll Report, a total of 2,078 workers missed out on Sh2.49 billion in salaries, with 2,066 employees not receiving any pay for the entire year.
Public universities accounted for the largest share of affected staff, underscoring the financial struggles plaguing the higher education sector.
The report highlights that 1,544 employees in public universities went unpaid, with Egerton University being the most affected.
A staggering 1,485 of its staff—96 per cent—missed their salaries due to the institution’s financial constraints.
The crisis in universities is not new. Many institutions, including Moi University, have faced frequent staff strikes over salary arrears and unremitted statutory deductions.
In January, Moi University was forced to release Sh113 million to settle part of its arrears in a last-minute bid to avert another strike.
Besides universities, ministries, state departments, and government agencies also struggled to meet their payroll obligations.
223 workers in ministries and state departments went unpaid while 273 employees in state corporations and semi-autonomous agencies also missed salaries.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) also had 68 affected staff, while the Ministry of Defence had 44 unpaid workers.
The State Department of Lands and Physical Planning, the National Treasury, and the National Youth Service (NYS) each had 42 employees left without pay.
Moreover, at Kenya Power, 38 employees missed their wages, while the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) had 25 unpaid staff.
The report also noted that 18 employees in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and eight staff members in statutory commissions were affected.
The PSC attributed the wage crisis to various factors, including financial constraints (72%) – affecting 1,494 workers, disciplinary action – affecting 372 employees, and unspecified delays – affecting 12 officers owed Sh1.76 million.
Most affected workers had their salaries delayed for between seven and twelve months, while 129 employees had gone unpaid for over a year.
The PSC has called for urgent reforms to address salary delays in public institutions.
The report recommends:
- A staff rationalization exercise in public universities to align with the 70:30 teaching-to-support staff ratio.
- Human resource audits in state departments and corporations to identify the root causes of non-payment of salaries.
- A review of staff establishments to ensure institutions only employ workers they can financially sustain.
With financial struggles persisting in many public institutions, the government faces mounting pressure to streamline payroll management and ensure timely salary payments to prevent further disruption in critical sectors like education and security.
