Members of Parliament are urging the Attorney General to consider scrapping or amending the law that caps salary deductions at 70 per cent of civil servants’ pay, citing increased statutory deductions that have left many employees with less than 30 per cent of their earnings. This push comes amid rising complaints that the current deductions violate the Employment Act.
Rather than reducing the deductions themselves, a parliamentary committee now wants Section 19 of the Employment Act reviewed or repealed to reflect the current financial obligations placed on civil servants. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) attributes the shrinking pay slips to new deductions introduced under President William Ruto’s administration, including the Housing Levy, Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and revised NSSF contributions.
PAC Chair and Butere MP Tindi Mwale raised concerns over widespread non-compliance with the law, warning that the two-thirds salary rule is no longer realistic. Scrapping it, however, would allow the state to impose further deductions without limit. The committee has summoned the National Treasury to explain why thousands of civil servants are taking home less than a third of their pay, and directed it to consult with Attorney General Dorcas Oduor on the rule’s relevance under the current tax regime.
During a session with Correctional Services PS Salome Beacco, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera stressed the need for a definitive legal interpretation, warning that the issue could persist in audit reports. Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo added that civil servants should not be penalized for circumstances beyond their control.
