CJ, DCJ salaries to remain unchanged as judicial officers get pay rise

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has cleared the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to restructure the salaries of judicial officers and to provide for allowances.

In compliance with a court order issued two years ago, SRC however warned that the move contravenes set global standards where such State officers receive consolidated pay.

SRC failed to implement the order issued by the High Court in November 2019 awaiting the hearing and determination of an appeal it lodged against the decision at the Court of Appeal.

But the 2019 decision had required SRC to comply within six months. Now, out of time, SRC has cleared the way for the desires of judges and magistrates.

The Chief Justice who at the moment receives a maximum of Ksh.1.3 million a month in consolidated pay will still receive the same total, but broken into basic salary and allowances.

The CJ’s basic salary will be a maximum of Ksh.952,888 while the allowances will be upto Ksh.375,000.

The Deputy Chief Justice will have her total benefits unchanged but itemized.

The senior most judge of the Court of Appeal will receive a maximum basic pay of Ksh.770,508 with allowances hitting Ksh.385,600.

The allowances entail extraneous, entertainment, responsibility, domestic servants allowance and market adjustment allowance: a maximum total of Ksh.1.15 million from Ksh.1.12 million.

A High Court judge at the highest of their career will be paid a maximum of just over Ksh.1 million against a current maximum of Ksh.907,279.

A Chief Magistrate will now receive basic pay amounting to Ksh.467,037, and an allowance of Ksh.265,000; a gross pay of Ksh.732,035 from Ksh.650,253.

The High Court further ordered SRC to provide for a security allowance. The commission has now revised a previous risk allowance and improved it by Ksh.5,000 to become security allowance of Ksh.20,000 for judicial officers.

The officers have also had their non-practicing allowance improved to Ksh.20,000 for judges and Ksh.15,000 for magistrates and kadhis.

But even as SRC complied, it warned that doing so distorts the salary structure of various judicial officers while stating that the move is inconsistent with global trends where such State officers receive consolidated pay.

This may also trigger similar push by other State officers like Cabinet Secretaries, Speakers of Parliament and the county assemblies, governors, commissioners of constitutional commissions and officials of other independent bodies to demand equal treatment.