Unions oppose govt proposal to freeze public workers pay

The Public Servants Union says it will strongly oppose any attempt by the government to reduce or freeze salary increments for public servants who are union members.


The union has also threatened to sue the government in case it goes ahead to act on the issue.


The union, a splinter group from the Union of Kenya Civil Servants has supported former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over his pension.


The union’s Secretary-General Francis Ngariuku said the Cord leader’s retirement benefits should not be politicised and he should be paid his pension dues like any other retired public servant.


Speaking in Nairobi, the public servants union said it would oppose any attempt by the government or the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to change the salaries of public servants already in service.


BREACH OF CONTRACTS


It stated that the members were employed based on a contract and any alterations would be a breach of the same and would be challenged in court.


Mr Ngariuku said any measure affecting its members’ salaries must be negotiated.


“It is not a walk over for the ministry to think they can cut salaries just like that because there should be proper negotiation between all stakeholders involved in the public service,” Mr Ngariuku said.


The union spoke out following reports of plans by the government to enforce a pay-cut among senior public servants in an effort to reduce to the huge public wage bill.


President Uhuru Kenyatta is on record urging senior government officials to take a 10 per cent pay cut.


There has been concern that many public servants earn a lot more than they deserve in relation to the kind of work they do.


The other concern has been that some public servants earn much more than their colleagues in the same job groups and job description.

Unions oppose govt proposal to freeze public workers pay

The Public Servants Union says it will strongly oppose any attempt by the government to reduce or freeze salary increments for public servants who are union members.


The union has also threatened to sue the government in case it goes ahead to act on the issue.


The union, a splinter group from the Union of Kenya Civil Servants has supported former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over his pension.


The union’s Secretary-General Francis Ngariuku said the Cord leader’s retirement benefits should not be politicised and he should be paid his pension dues like any other retired public servant.


Speaking in Nairobi, the public servants union said it would oppose any attempt by the government or the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to change the salaries of public servants already in service.


BREACH OF CONTRACTS


It stated that the members were employed based on a contract and any alterations would be a breach of the same and would be challenged in court.


Mr Ngariuku said any measure affecting its members’ salaries must be negotiated.


“It is not a walk over for the ministry to think they can cut salaries just like that because there should be proper negotiation between all stakeholders involved in the public service,” Mr Ngariuku said.


The union spoke out following reports of plans by the government to enforce a pay-cut among senior public servants in an effort to reduce to the huge public wage bill.


President Uhuru Kenyatta is on record urging senior government officials to take a 10 per cent pay cut.


There has been concern that many public servants earn a lot more than they deserve in relation to the kind of work they do.


The other concern has been that some public servants earn much more than their colleagues in the same job groups and job description.

MP files urgent motion to discuss NYS

An Opposition MP has filed a motion urging the National Assembly to suspend its business on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the affairs of the National Youth Service (NYS) as a matter of “urgent national importance”.


Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi says in the notice of motion sent to Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso that the Kenyan public is greatly concerned about the latest happenings at the National Youth Service.


“The NYS has lately dominated news for all the wrong reasons — reports of attempted fraud amounting to about Sh800 million, power struggles within its leadership, violent public demonstrations and counter-demonstrations regarding its activities, skewed recruitment of the youth contrary to the letter and spirit of the Constitution and general corruption,” Mr Wandayi says.


UNDERMINE ITS CAPACITY


He says that if left to go on unchecked, the state of affairs at the NYS could undermine its capacity as an institution and render it unable to deliver on its mandate.


This would also jeopardise efforts at national cohesion and integration, he says in the notice addressed to the Speaker.


If Dr Laboso accepts this motion, the National Assembly could take at least one hour for discussion, which would give MPs an opportunity to discuss the NYS matter.


The NYS has been in the news since Wednesday last week after the Central Bank notified the Devolution and Planning ministry of large payments from their account.


Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru later said there had been an aborted attempt to irregularly pay out Sh826 million from the NYS.


This has sparked protests and demonstrations in Nairobi and Kisumu.

Unions oppose govt proposal to freeze public workers pay

The Public Servants Union says it will strongly oppose any attempt by the government to reduce or freeze salary increments for public servants who are union members.


The union has also threatened to sue the government in case it goes ahead to act on the issue.


The union, a splinter group from the Union of Kenya Civil Servants has supported former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over his pension.


The union’s Secretary-General Francis Ngariuku said the Cord leader’s retirement benefits should not be politicised and he should be paid his pension dues like any other retired public servant.


Speaking in Nairobi, the public servants union said it would oppose any attempt by the government or the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to change the salaries of public servants already in service.


BREACH OF CONTRACTS


It stated that the members were employed based on a contract and any alterations would be a breach of the same and would be challenged in court.


Mr Ngariuku said any measure affecting its members’ salaries must be negotiated.


“It is not a walk over for the ministry to think they can cut salaries just like that because there should be proper negotiation between all stakeholders involved in the public service,” Mr Ngariuku said.


The union spoke out following reports of plans by the government to enforce a pay-cut among senior public servants in an effort to reduce to the huge public wage bill.


President Uhuru Kenyatta is on record urging senior government officials to take a 10 per cent pay cut.


There has been concern that many public servants earn a lot more than they deserve in relation to the kind of work they do.


The other concern has been that some public servants earn much more than their colleagues in the same job groups and job description.

Showdown looms as Cord plots Parliament siege to block key Bill

Opposition politicians have vowed to seal off Parliament Buildings tomorrow to stop MPs from passing a security Bill on terrorism, raising the possibility of a clash with police.


As a prelude to the siege on Parliament over the Security Laws (Amendment) Bill, which they describe as draconian, Cord leaders will today meet at the famous Kamukunji Grounds to rally the public behind the blockade.


The leaders are also planning a series of street protests and court action to block the enactment of the Bill because the “tyranny of numbers” will prevent a fair contest in the National Assembly.


Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama said Tuesday: “I want to tell Kenyans that on Thursday we will enter Parliament at 6am, we will also block Uhuru Highway. If they want to kill us, let them kill us because it is better than being a slave. Thursday is a big day for Kenya,” he said at Ufungamano House in Nairobi yesterday.


“National Assembly Minority Leader Francis Nyenze, Cord MPs and senators will meet at Kamukunji to demand the inclusion of the Senate in reviewing the Bill.


“There is no law, which affects counties, that can be passed without the input of the Senate,” he said.


Cord co-principal Raila Odinga outlined 10 reasons he thinks the proposed law is dangerous and should be opposed if democracy is to prevail and the freedom and rights of the people protected.


“The Bill introduces a new type of law that makes people responsible for the actions of others. For example, trade unions will now be liable to companies for economic losses resulting from strikes or to the government for causing traffic jams,” he said.


He added that the proposed law takes away the power to impose a curfew from the Inspector-General of Police and bestow it to the Cabinet Secretary. The decision, Mr Odinga said, would be on political grounds, not on professional security risk assessment.


He added that the Bill does not define what is “obscene”, “gory”, or “offensive” and therefore, interpretation would be at the discretion of the police.


“We saw our President protest strongly at the International Criminal Court at The Hague when the prosecution applied to Kenya to provide information. The President must also respect the same rights for the rest of Kenyans.


WESTGATE ATTACK


“The Bill limits the right of the media to give accurate information. The restrictions under the proposed law would have rendered last year’s coverage of the terrorist attack on the Westgate Shopping Mall in Westlands illegal.


“We would only have known what the police wanted us to know. The coverage of Mandera attacks would also have been illegal,” said Mr Odinga.


Siaya Senator James Orengo said the Bill should not be amended, but rejected, as the process through which it was published is unconstitutional.


BILL OF RIGHTS


“Parliament is trying to unconstitutionally pass 36 new laws in the guise of this single Bill. The government is deliberately violating the Bill of rights and eroding all the democratic gains we have made over the last two decades,” he said.


Constitutional Law Expert Yash Pal Ghai said the rash manner in which the Bill was prepared was suspect.


“The law has been amended under the Miscellaneous Amendment Act, but the contents of these amendments deny Kenyans key rights and freedoms. It is a big blow to the fundamental principles of our Constitution,” he said.


IN HIS OWN WORDS


10 Reasons why the security laws (amendment) Bill is dangerous:


1 It takes away the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and present petitions to public authorities by giving the Cabinet secretary power. Trade unions can now be neutralised and political activity, the government would become dictatorial.


2 It introduces a new type of law that makes people responsible for the actions of others. This is what they mean when they say a person convicted of convening a rally, meeting or procession will be made liable for any loss suffered.


3 It takes away the power to declare curfew from the Inspector-General of Police and gives it to the Cabinet secretary. The decision to impose a curfew will not be based on a professional security risk assessment but on political grounds.


4 It restricts the right of the people to receive information if that information is considered “obscene”, “gory” or “offensive”. The Act does not define “obscene”, “gory”, or “offensive” and this will depend on police interpretation.


5 It takes away the right of an accused person to be told what evidence the prosecution has. We saw our President complaining that the prosecution was withholding evidence at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.


6 It requires an accused person to disclose his witnesses and evidence to the police. Our president protested strongly at the ICC when the prosecution applied to Kenya to give the prosecution information.


7 It institutionalises the military into our civilian life by putting them in the Firearms Licensing Board and Inter-agency security advisory committee. As Kenyans, we keep our military out of civilian affairs.


8 It gives the right to police to obtain information from landlords about tenants even in the absence of an investigation. Allowing this is only opening up a new plantation for them to harvest where they did not sow.


9 It brings back to Kenya the dreaded Special Branch in a more lethal formation. The National Intelligence Service now has power to search premises and take away property without having a warrant from court.


10 It limits the right of the media to give true and accurate information. The restrictions on media under the proposed law would have made the coverage of Westgate attack illegal.

US 'concerned' by new security law Tweet comment Print

The Obama administration has said it is "disappointed" and "concerned" by sections of the Security Laws (Amendment) Bill.


In a statement from State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki on the Bill that was signed into law on Friday by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Washington however reaffirmed its support of Kenya's fight against terrorism.


"The US government is firmly committed to supporting Kenya's efforts to defeat Al-Shabaab and to ensure security of all of its citizens.


"We are disappointed, however, by the very limited time allowed for debate and consultation on the 2014 Security Laws (Amendment) Bill prior to its passage and enactment into law," the statement read.


"We are also concerned about several provisions in the legislation, including those that appear to limit freedom of assembly and media, and access to asylum for refugees.


"As a key partner in the global effort to counter terrorism, we expect the Kenyan government to ensure that its counterterrorism efforts live up to Kenya’s international commitments and its own constitution.


"Protecting Kenya’s constitution and upholding human rights, democracy, and international obligations are among the most effective ways to bolster security."


The Security Laws (Amendment) Bill was passed by MPs in an acrimonious session on Thursday. Legislators scuffled in the chamber as debate descended into chaos, prompting the chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Mumo Matemu, to announce on Friday that MPs who disrupted the session were being investigated and could lose their seats.


'DEPLORABLE CONDUCT'


In an address to the nation shortly after signing the Bill on Friday, President Kenyatta said they would help boost the government's fight against terrorism and criminal activities such as poaching and cross-border trafficking.


Reacting to the ill-tempered session, the President said Opposition MPs in the National Assembly and senators had exhibited a “deplorable conduct.”


He described Thursday’s session as an “unfortunate incident” that denied Kenyans a chance to follow the House proceedings.


He praised members from the ruling Jubilee coalition for passing the law despite the chaos and mayhem.


On the deregistration of NGOs, Washington said it was seeking "further information" on the decision.


"A strong civil society is vital to democracy, security, and prosperity. We urge the Government of Kenya to ensure the regulation of NGOs is transparent, fair, and grounded in clear criteria that do not limit free expression, association, or assembly," the statement said.

Govt won’t approve transfer requests by teachers from Mandera, says PS Belio Kipsang

                           
The government will not approve transfer requests by 150 teachers from Mandera County who want to relocate following security threats.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang Thursday said the government would ensure that emergency intervention measures are put in place ahead of the re-opening of schools in January 2015.

Speaking after an assessment tour of Mandera County, Dr Kipsang said the government would give the county all the support requires.

“We are not departing from Mandera in its hour of need. We are here to give our support,” Dr Kipsang said during a meeting at the county headquarters.

The PS, who met with Mandera Governor Ali Roba, was accompanied by his colleagues Mutea Iringo (Defence), Monica Juma (Interior), Nduva Muli (Transport) and Director of Medical Services Nicholas Muraguri.

Mandera has witnessed a mass exodus of workers especially civil servants working in the health and education sectors after two attacks that have left more than 60 people dead in the recent past.

Twenty eight people were killed in the first attack after the Al-Shabaab militants raided a Nairobi-bound bus and shot them dead near the Kenya-Somalia border. Most of those killed were teachers and other civil servants travelling home for the Christmas holidays.

A week later, on November 22, 2014, 36 people were ambushed as they slept in tents at Koromey quarry near the same border. All those killed were non-locals and non-Muslims.

RE-OPEN HEALTH FACILITIES

Following the departure of 50 health workers, Dr Muraguri said the government will re-open 20 health facilities that have closed down due to security threats.

This, he said, will be done as a matter of urgency.

“Our ministry will help Mandera stabilise following the security blow.

“I applaud Mr Roba for his efforts in trying to keep the county moving despite all the challenges you are going through,” he said.

Ms Juma appealed to all ministries to fully commit themselves and help the county get back on its feet.

“Mandera is our frontline. We are here to support the county to the end,” she said.

Governor Roba lauded the National Government for its response in ensuring that crucial government services were not further paralysed by the exodus of civil servants.