The government has cut the salaries budget for top-level state officials by Sh600 million in the current financial year following concerns raised by the Controller of Budget over inflated estimates by the National Treasury.

The budget for salaries paid through the Consolidated Fund Services dropped from Sh4.74 billion in the 2023/24 financial year to Sh4.14 billion this year.

The affected officials include the president, deputy president, Cabinet secretaries, governors, MPs, speakers of both national and county assemblies, and heads of constitutional commissions and independent offices.

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o said the reduction follows the implementation of her office’s recommendation to align the salaries and allowances of constitutional office holders to what had been officially gazetted by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

“The decline is attributed to implementing a recommendation by the controller of budget that budgeted salaries and allowances of the constitutional office holders be aligned to the gazetted remuneration by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission in previous budget implementation review reports,” said Nyakang’o.

In the budget tabled in June last year, the Treasury had proposed Sh4.21 billion for these salaries, but the amount was later revised down to Sh4.14 billion. Nyakang’o revealed that the Treasury had been budgeting up to three times more than what was actually paid out.

“When I was doing the budget for CFS, where I am paid from, I found out that my salary was budgeted at three times what I am paid. I am the only state officer in my institution so there is nothing like confusion there. I asked and I have not received the answer to date,” she told the National Dialogue Committee in November 2023.

According to her, all state officers’ salaries are gazetted by the SRC and are public information.

Despite the reduced budget, salary payouts rose between July 2024 and March 2025, with Treasury disbursing Sh2.97 billion compared to Sh2.49 billion over the same period the previous year.

The Judicial Service Commission received the bulk of the funds at Sh2.3 billion, followed by the Public Service Commission with Sh90.9 million and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission with Sh76.1 million.

Treasury also released Sh12.9 million for the president and his deputy’s salaries, Sh40.7 million for housing levy contributions, and Sh1.38 million for National Social Security Fund contributions.