The
interviews are now over and many potential candidates who passed the
interview are eager to know how much they will earn.
Before the first assistant county commissioner cadet salary is paid to
the respective individuals, there will be prior training by the Kenya School of
Government on a broad range of topics/ areas.
The
training will primarily focus on turning the liberal minds into bureaucratic
minds that take orders and instructions from above without much questioning. This
training will come inform of "Leadership Training."
Let’s
talk about the salaries and allowances now. The cadet recruits are hired at Job
Group J. So here is what a typical pay slip at this job group J looks like.
Basic Salary
The
minimum basic salary assistant county commissioner cadet is Kshs. 24,662 while
the maximum is Kshs. 29,918 per month. Therefore within a year, the minimum
earning from the basic salary is Kshs. 295,944 (More than a quarter of a
million).
Allowances
There
are several allowances that a commissioner is entitled to. The allowances are;
- Hardship
allowance.
- House
allowance.
- Commuter
allowance.
- Travel
allowance.
Harship allowance
The
hardship allowance for the assistant county commissioner cadet is Kshs. 8,200
per month. Therefore, annually, the total hardship allowance is Kshs. 98,400.
House allowance
The
house allowance varies depending on the place of deployment. The house
allowance is paid on a monthly basis. There are three clusters that are used to
pay house allowances to civil servants. The clusters are 1, 2 and 3.
The
house allowance in Nairobi is Kshs. 10,000 per month.
In
Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale and Naivasha, the house allowance
is Kshs. 7,500 per month. These areas are referred to as Cluster 1.
In
Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Embu, Kakamega, Kisii, Nanyuki, Garissa, Lodwar
(Turkana) and Nakuru, the house allowance is Kshs. 5,800 per month. These places
are referred to as Cluster 2.
Travel Allowance (Subsistence
allowance)
In
case that one travels for an official duty, then travel allowance will be paid
based on the town/ place that one visits. The area visited should not be the
duty station of the officer. The travel allowance should not be confused with
commuter allowance.
The
travel allowance is Kshs. 6,300 if one travels to either of the following areas;
Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale and Naivasha.
A
visit to Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Embu, Kakamega, Kisii, Nanyuki, Garissa,
Lodwar (Turkana) and Nakuru, will entitle one to Kshs. 4,900.
The
travel allowance in other areas that are not in Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 is Kshs. 4,200.
Deductions
There
are two main deductions that the commissioner parts with. These are
Deduction
of agency fees to the Union of Kenya Civil Servants.
NHIF
Deductions (NHIF contributions).
The
agency fees to the Union of Kenya Civil Servants is pegged on the basic salary.
The deduction is 1.5% of the basic salary. The deductions are made on a monthly
basis. Therefore, at the minimum salary of Kshs. 29,918, the deduction will be
Kshs. 448.77.
The
NHIF contribution is pegged on the gross income and not on the net pay. The deductions
towards the NHIF will vary after sometime in office because some commissioners will get higher gross income than others. This is due to the effects of allowances
such as house allowance and hardship allowance.
The
contribution towards the NHIF medical insurance cover for a commissioner in
Nairobi for instance is Kshs. 950 per month.