A growing sense of frustration is quietly building among a section of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) officers who were recruited in 2023, following what they describe as persistent delays in the disbursement of their full allowances and unexplained discrepancies in access to payslips, despite having completed all the required training, probation and formal confirmation into permanent roles.
The affected officers, numbering in the hundreds, allege that for over two years, they have only been receiving limited allowances instead of the full salary package outlined in their appointment letters.
This is a situation they say has not only left them financially strained but also uncertain about the deductions being made without clear documentation or explanation.
What is sparking deeper concern is the revelation that cadet inspectors who were brought in after them have already been granted access to their payslips and have reportedly received full payment, including benefits such as leave allowances, which, according to the aggrieved officers, were neither applied for nor processed through the usual channels.
While many have remained silent out of fear of reprisals or career stagnation, there is a growing call for transparency and equal treatment, as the disparities, if left unaddressed, risk undermining trust within the institution and eroding the morale of officers who have already endured long months of rigorous paramilitary and professional training, followed by probation, without the financial recognition they believe is due to them.
Below is what some of the affected foresters, speaking on condition of anonymity, detailed in a personal account that offers a deeper glimpse into the lived frustrations, unmet expectations and the quiet desperation now shared among dozens of officers still waiting for the system to honour the very terms under which they were recruited and confirmed.
“Hi Nyakundi. Kindly conceal my identity. I am currently working with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and was among the approximately 450 Foresters and Cadets who were recruited in 2023.
It has now been over two years since our recruitment. We have successfully completed all the required paramilitary and professional training, served our probation period, and were officially confirmed as permanent and pensionable employees in May this year. However, despite this confirmation, we still have no access to our payslips. For the entire period since our recruitment, we have only been receiving allowances, and not the full salary package as outlined in our appointment letters.
What is even more frustrating is that cadet inspectors who were recruited after us already have full access to their payslips and have received all their dues, including leave allowances, some of which, to the best of our knowledge, were not even formally applied for.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are simply requesting fair and equal treatment within the service. We have fulfilled all our responsibilities, and now we respectfully ask the institution to honour its part of the agreement and treat us with the same transparency and dignity extended to others.”
