As part of its austerity measures, the government has imposed a three-year hiring freeze, effective immediately, to reduce the country's wage bill, Treasury CS Ukur Yatani announced on September 2, 2019.
“There will be no recruitment of staff in the next three years unless a ministry, state department or agency (MDA) gets the approval of the Treasury,” Yatani stated in a circular to all principal secretaries and other accounting officers of the national and county governments.
The directive aims to ensure that saved funds are prioritized to drive the Big Four agenda, which includes building on progress made to address unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
Under the new directive, ministries will no longer be able to seek government funding for recruitment, internships, or staff upgrades, meaning government employees can expect no pay rises in the near future.
The Treasury has set tough conditions for approving funding requests, requiring ministries to obtain written approval from the Treasury confirming availability of funds before submitting salary review requests to the SRC.
Yatani has proposed that money transferred to entities be factored on their revenue base, with savings channeled to other sectors.
