Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed salary cuts for his country’s state officers, saying the move will free more money for development agenda.

The East African country’s Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on Monday announced widespread cuts in salaries of state officers, including the president, his deputy and parliamentarians.

According to Uhuru, the cuts will result in savings of up to 84 million US dollars annually.

CGTN Photo

“I am pleased that the Commission has now made its recommendations and I am today announcing my unequivocal support for those broad and far-reaching recommendations,” he said on Tuesday morning.

In the new wage structures, the president will earn a monthly gross of about 14,000 US dollars, down from about 16,500 US dollars, the deputy will earn 12,000  US dollars down from 14,000 US dollars while Cabinet Secretaries will earn 8,000 US dollars down from 10,000 US dollars.

“I call upon every Kenyan to support the Commission’s recommendations. The days of wasteful allowances and peculiar but inexplicable payments are behind us. Better and more prosperous days lie ahead,” President Uhuru added.

Also notable, sitting allowance and mileage claims for MPs have been scrapped in the new recommendations.

The commission’s new salary structure is expected to bring down the wage bill from 52 percent of GDP to 35 percent of GDP.