President William Ruto, addressing concerns over striking doctors’ demands for increased salaries and interns’ allowances, emphasized fiscal prudence, highlighting Kenya’s struggle with a ballooning wage bill.
Speaking at Eldoret AIC Fellowship church during Sunday service, the President underscored the imperative to live within the country’s financial means, citing an annual expenditure of Kshs. 1.1 trillion out of the 2.2 trillion collected solely on salaries and wages.
Ruto, addressing the matter for the first time, noted that Kenya’s current wage bill stands at 47% of revenue, surpassing the recommended 35%.
He advocated for dialogue to responsibly manage salaries, aiming to reduce the burden and allocate resources towards job creation, especially for the youth.
Acknowledging the need for austerity measures, Ruto disclosed a reduction in the budget from Ksh. 4.2 trillion to Ksh. 3.7 trillion, ensuring financial prudence.
He affirmed that the government won’t resort to borrowing for salary payments and outlined plans to absorb intern doctors based on the offered terms, emphasizing that Ksh. 70,000 stipend for interns is sustainable for a year.
Despite the government’s olive branch, extended offers, and disbursement of funds for interns, medics’ unions, including the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) and the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), have remained defiant, rejecting the government’s proposals and urging interns not to collect offer letters.
