It has emerged that some of President William Ruto’s advisors are earning salaries comparable to Cabinet Secretaries (CS) and Principal Secretaries (PS), with monthly pay packages reaching at least Ksh.1 million. This revelation has sparked questions over the justification for such high remuneration and the expanding number of advisors in State House.
During a recent hearing before the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee, State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito defended the spending on advisors, emphasizing their critical role in shaping government policies, particularly those aimed at reducing the cost of living. “Advisors come in different job groups, and their pay is determined by their expertise,” Metito explained.
A Cabinet Secretary receives a basic salary of Ksh.594,000, which, after allowances for housing, medical cover, and transport, totals over Ksh.1 million monthly. Principal Secretaries earn a base salary of about Ksh.491,906, with similar allowances pushing their total pay close to the Ksh.1 million mark. Meanwhile, employees on job groups T, U, and V earn over Ksh.170,000, showing the wide range of salaries paid to the advisors based on their classification.
Fred Kapondi, MP for Mt. Elgon, highlighted the growing number of advisors and their salary scales, questioning the necessity of so many high-paid advisors and their overlapping roles. Critics have also argued that many advisors are former Cabinet nominees who were rejected but have now been absorbed into advisory roles, possibly as a workaround following court rulings that halted the appointment of Chief Administrative Secretaries.
Parliamentary records reveal that the annual cost of employing these advisors exceeds Ksh.1 billion, with costs rising alongside the increase in their numbers. Meanwhile, the budgets for senior government officials and former top leaders, including retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, have been significantly cut. For instance, Kenyatta’s office faces a reduction of Ksh.94.6 million from its previous Ksh.300 million allocation for the next financial year.
State House’s overall budget for the coming financial year stands at Ksh.8 billion, underscoring the need for transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds on presidential advisors. As the debate continues, the public awaits clarity on the value these advisors bring relative to their substantial pay.
