President William Ruto has appointed Michael Thoyah Kingi, the brother to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for a six-year term.
A gazette notice published on November 14th formalized the appointment marking Kingi’s return to service after previously serving as a member of parliament for Magarini constituency.
Michael Kingi’s appointment to SRC came after a vetting exercise before the National Assembly Labour Committee, where he was questioned on matters of integrity, political neutrality and potential conflicts of interest.
Kingi who lost his parliamentary seat in the 2022 general elections, assured the committee that he is no longer engaged in active politics. He also dismissed claims that he was a candidate in the upcoming by-election in Magarini, insisting that his name is not on any ballot and that he had no intentions of contesting.
Kingi’s appointment has however drew intense public interest given his relationship with the senate speaker, despite the law not preventing relatives of senior government officials, from serving in constitutional commissions.
Once he’s fully inaugurated, Kingi will join a team of commissioners which is led by Chairperson Sammy Chepkwony. He will be working alongside members including Maj-Gen (Rtd) Martin Ong’onyi, Jane Njage, Mohamed Aden Abdi, Dr. Gilda Odera, Dr. Geoffrey Omondi and Leonid Ashindu.
During his appearance in the parliament, Kingi highlighted persistent challenges facing the SRC particularly the rampant “ghost-workers” problem. He explained that the commission largely depends on payroll data submitted by government agencies, making it difficult to independently identify non-existent employees.
He proposed strengthening digital integration across public institutions to enhance accuracy and transparency oversight as a way of addressing the challenge.
The SRC, which is established under Article 230 of the constitution is mandated to set and review the remuneration of state officers and advise governments about salary structures across the public service.
Kingi’s appointment adds new strength to the ongoing efforts aimed at streamlining the nation’s wage bill and strengthen accountability in public-sector compensation.
