SRC Chair Lyn Mengich breaks down proposed Ksh.70K monthly stipend for medical interns

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) Chairperson Lyn Mengich has defended the government's proposal to slash medical interns' pay to Ksh.70,000 from the Ksh.206,000 set in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Speaking on Citizen TV's 'The Explainer' show on Tuesday, Mengich  clarified that the mooted pay cut does not affect posted interns but rather applies to new graduates beginning their medical internships.

"There is no reduction. What we have set is a new stipend for interns that are just being posted, so the issue about reduction is not correct. You only reduce what you already have; these are interns who have just graduated from university. They were not earning Ksh.206,000 so therefore we cannot say there was a reduction," she said.

"A reduction means I have it and you have taken it. Those that were earning a different amount before will continue earning that so that has not been reduced."

Explaining the rationale behind the recommended stipend of Ksh.70,000, Mengich outlined two key factors: affordability and fiscal sustainability.

"Can the country sustain to pay higher than that amount?" Mengich posed, further highlighting the increasing number of medical graduates entering Kenya's workforce.

"When we look at sustainability going forward, it is not fiscally sustainable to continue with a higher amount."

The SRC Chair, while highlighting the principle of equity and fairness, further underlined that the public and private medical sectors have similar intern pay structures.  

"In government today the highest paid (intern) is Ksh.25,000, and even private sector we have checked they pay Ksh.35,000...which should be the highest," she said.

She also underscored that a stipend is different from a salary, deducing that the amount paid to medical interns in the past resembled more of a salary than stipend.

Mengich further highlighted that the SRC made the pay cut recommendation in line with its constitutional mandate to advise on remuneration and fiscal responsibility

"The fact that it happened in the past does not make it right. We are bound by the Constitution to look at affordability, fiscal sustainability and we must look at fairness and equity. Is it equitable for an intern to be paid a remuneration other than stipend when all other interns in the country earn a stipend?" She posed.

She similarly noted that the State took into account the performance and responsibilities of medical interns during internships before settling on the Ksh.70,000.

"We looked at the level the intern is performing, what kind of learning and responsibilities they undertake during their training and learning period," she said.