Uproar over delays in salary increment for prison warders

Officers from the Kenya Prisons Service have threatened to go on strike after the government failed to implement the promised salary increment beginning July 2024.

The prison warders staged a go-slow on Thursday, protesting what they described as poor pay and unfulfilled promises by the government.

President William Ruto had previously promised to increase the officers’ salaries by at least Ksh.2,000; service men and women waited with bated breath to see fat pay checks, but that expectation was short-lived at the end of July.

“Haijaincreasiwa, they promised they would increase,” said an officer who spoke to Citizen TV and requested anonymity.

“Hatujapata kitu, mara wanasema circular haijatoka. Shida inaweza kuwa ni nini?  Walitangaza mbele ya hiyo kamati ya wakubwa walikuwa wamehudhuria hapo ikulu.”

Officers from the lowest rank of Constable anticipated a salary increase of up to Ksh.2,000, while their counterparts in the National Police Service (NPS) received their allowances, the pay slips of the prison officers remained unchanged from the previous month.

“We want to know because the askari hawana morale ya kazi and i’m speaking for several of them. Ata it’s just because it’s against policy that tumekataa kuonekana. We don’t fear anything saa hii ata imebaki kidogo kazi tuache,” said another officer.

The situation that has led to a go-slow, with the officers threatening to down tools if the government does not meet its end of the bargain.

A look into the pay slip of a prison officer reveals the severity of the issue; a Constable's gross pay is Ksh.47,800, but after deductions, they take home only Ksh.8,035.

“Mshahara yetu ni Ksh.34,000 ukikata kila kitu. So for example nilipe nyumba hapa Nairobi, kitu inaweza tosha familia ni nyumba kama Ksh.15,000. Nilipe, for example, kama uko na mtoto nilipe househelp labda Ksh.7,000 ama Ksh.6,000. Unaona haiwezi tosha kulisha familia through the month,” said yet another officer who requested anonymity.

“So ukiona hata increment ya Ksh.2,000 ama Ksh.3,000, itakuwa imemake changes nyingi.”

The challenges these officers face are not limited to remuneration; they also allege mistreatment from senior officers and poor working conditions.

“Mambo ya uniform zikikuja wadosi wanajigawia kama ni zao, inspector wanagawa,” said another officer.

“Officers tunaparara, unapata mtu ameajiriwa kitambo anakaa ata 5 years bila uniform mpya.”

A letter from Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has now directed that all uniformed officers of the Kenya Prisons Service, from the lowest rank of Constable, should receive a minimum monthly salary increase of Ksh.4,000, effective from the July 2024 payroll.

Late last year, President Ruto pledged a 40 per cent increment in police officers' salaries as part of recommendations by a task force on police.