Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has announced the government's intention to introduce productivity-based incentives as part of the move to enhance efficiency among employees.
Speaking on Thursday morning during a meeting with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission(SRC) officials, Mutua noted that the introduction of the bonuses was in line with the government's broader vision of building a responsive, efficient, and accountable public service.
In the proposed scheme, the government would recognise and reward employees for achieving specific targets that contribute to improved service delivery.
He noted that talks with SRC were in progress to develop a framework for rewarding hardworking employees, including guidelines for financial rewards that are tied to productivity.
"We are exploiting the possibility of introducing productivity-based incentives to enhance motivation and performance across public institutions. This is in line with our broader vision of building a responsive, efficient, and accountable public service," CS Mutua announced.
During the meeting, Mutua and SRC officials also agreed to develop joint strategies that prioritise fairness, fiscal responsibility, and the welfare of government workers, both serving and retired.
In particular, the officials agreed on the streamlining of the welfare of retired civil servants with emphasis on improving access to post-retirement medical cover.
The discussions also focused on refining the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), including a review of salaries and benefits for government workers.
SRC officials expressed their desire to work more closely with the Ministry to ensure their mandate is implemented effectively and in a manner that promotes labour harmony.
Mutua assured SRC of the Ministry’s full support and reaffirmed the shared commitment to strengthening institutional linkages for the benefit of public servants and the country at large.
The CS's statement comes weeks after the government announced plans to continue restructuring the country’s wage bill over the next four financial years.
In the latest budget, 2025/2026, the government has allocated Ksh3.1 trillion to recurrent expenditure, which includes the civil servants' wage bill. The wage bill, which has been a significant component of the recurrent expenditure, has been growing, even with a hiring freeze and suspended pay raises.
