VIDEO: Gov’t cannot afford teachers’ pay hike – Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta has reiterated his stance that the government cannot and will not pay the 50 to 60 per cent pay hike awarded to teachers.

Speaking when he delivered an address to the nation at State House, President Kenyatta said that the current wage bill is already too much, quoting that the wage bill represents 52 per cent of the total revenue collected.

He noted that the figure, compared to other middle-income countries like Kenya, where the wage bill represents on average 35 per cent of their total revenue.

The head of state went on to explain that Kenya’s wage bill is at 10 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, double that of other middle income countries.

He also noted that awarding teachers’ pay hike would set a bad precedence since the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) will be required to harmonise the new salaries with that of all other public servants.

“The Wage bill will rise to 61 per cent of all revenue collected,” he noted.

President Kenyatta called on teachers to adhere to SRC’s recommendation on salary scales since it is a constructional body.

“The new constitution established the Salaries and Remuneration Commission for the first time in our history, and conferred on it the mandate of managing the remuneration of public officers, including teachers,” said Uhuru.

“The mandate of the SRC is to set, review and advise on the remuneration of all state and public servants, including teachers and myself, with a view to ensuring that the public wage bill is fiscally sustainable. At the moment, our public wage bill accounts for 52% of revenue.”

President Kenyatta added that Kenya would have to borrow, suspend other development projects and raise taxes in order to meet teachers’ demands.

“This is simply untenable. Our county must live within its means,” said the head of state.

Watch the full address in the video embedded here.