Pay rise freeze for lawmakers

Proposed pay rises for members of Kenya's Cabinet and Parliament will not happen after President William Ruto ordered a review of the plans following public outcry. Ruto was forced to drop a controversial finance Bill that had included tax hikes. BBC News reports that Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) chairperson Lyn Mengich confirmed that the increases for state officers was stopped due to ‘the current realities of the economy’. Initially, the SRC had recommended a pay increase of 2% and 5% for all state officials, including judges. Last year, the SRC issued a notice, proposing that the increases take effect from the beginning of this month. But Public Service Minister Moses Kuria said he would not implement the increases ‘as applies’ to the Cabinet. On Tuesday, Samuel Njoroge, clerk of the National Assembly, told the People Daily newspaper that the SRC's recommendation could not be overturned as they affected all state officers.

Full BBC News report