By Grace Gilo
The Cabinet has approved the revised guidelines on the terms and conditions of service for board members and staff of State Corporations.
These guidelines, the Cabinet said, were in line with the recent directives given by President William Ruto on fiscal consolidation and management of State Corporations.
President Ruto presided over the Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi.
The new policy also ensures that the determination of the terms and conditions of service in the agencies aligns with the provisions of the Constitution and the relevant laws.
Consequently, the revised guidelines will provide salary bands and allowances for CEOs, board members, Vice-Chancellors, Chancellors, and members of university councils.
The Salaries and Remunerations Commission and the State Corporations Advisory Committee will play a crucial role in determining the terms and conditions for State corporations.
Additionally, the guidelines introduce a new standard for the governance and ethical behavior of board members and staff of State corporations.
During the Cabinet meeting, the ongoing industrial action by healthcare workers was discussed.
It was noted that out of the 19 issues in contention, only four were related to the National Government.
These issues encompassed basic salary arrears, scholarships for postgraduate studies, medical insurance, and stipends for medical interns.
All matters have been resolved except for the stipend of interns.
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The Cabinet was adamant that it would be unsustainable to continue paying KSh 206,000 a month to the interns.
The Cabinet endorsed the government directive to set the internship stipend at KSh70,000, citing other interns in public service are paid KSh25,000.
Additionally, the Cabinet was briefed on fertilizer distribution, with reports indicating that fertilizer had been distributed in 42 counties, resulting in a 100 percent increase in uptake.
A total of 2.9 million bags were distributed to 538,061 farmers compared to 1.09 million bags to 270,000 farmers in April last year.
The cabinet members also approved the terms of a negotiated settlement of the commercial contracts and financing agreements for the Itare and Arror dams.
In the new terms, Itare Dam will be completed, while the construction of Arror Dam will commence.
The Cabinet also approved the purchase of six parcels of land totaling 11,000 acres of land in Naivasha, with 6,000 acres allocated for settling squatters and 5,000 acres for industrial purposes.
Lastly, the Cabinet discussed and approved various matters including Kenya’s Ratification of the Treaty Establishing IGAD, Kenya’s Ratification of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, hosting the Eastern Africa Sub-Regional Forum on Artificial Intelligence, providing an office for the African Economic Research Consortium, preparations for the 59th Labour Day Celebrations, and the progress on the Implementation of the 15 Billion Tree-Growing Programme.