Parliament Vetts SRC CEO Nominee Ali Abdullahi Surraw

The National Assembly Committee on Labour has vetted Ali Abdullahi Surraw, who has been nominated to serve as the Commission Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

The session was chaired by Kilifi South MP Ken Chonga.

During the approval hearing, Ali defended his suitability for the job and outlined an ambitious plan to improve how public salaries are managed. He promised to use technology to strengthen payroll systems and ensure accuracy in both national and county governments.

Ali said one of his key priorities is upgrading SRC’s ICT and data systems to provide real-time information and create a unified payroll. He noted that this would help address issues such as double payments and ghost workers.

Speaking on challenges facing the public wage sector, Ali pointed out that 41 out of 47 counties have not yet met the recommended 35 per cent wage-bill ceiling. He described the situation as unsustainable and called for urgent reforms.

He also highlighted differences in job groups and salaries across the public service, saying harmonisation is needed to ensure fairness and predictability for workers.

Committee members questioned the nominee on how he plans to deal with the growing pay gap between the public and private sectors. The Chair noted that many well-trained public officers are quitting government jobs for better pay in the private sector.

In response, Ali said he would work to make public salaries more competitive by carrying out regular labour market surveys and adjusting wages to help retain skilled staff.

The issue of career stagnation was also raised. Hon. Wamaua noted that many public servants stay in the same job group for too long, affecting morale and performance. The chair supported this concern.

Ali clarified that promotions fall under the Public Service Commission (PSC), not the SRC. However, he committed to advising the PSC on issues affecting workers’ welfare if he is appointed.

He also stressed the need for better communication and engagement between the SRC and other government stakeholders. Ali said this would help change the perception that the SRC’s main role is to cut salaries, explaining that its goal is to manage a sustainable national wage bill through evidence-based decisions.

He further pledged to introduce stronger feedback channels to keep stakeholders informed about key SRC decisions.