Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa will push on with a plan to increase civil servants' salaries despite the economic woes facing the country.
Ms Jumwa said she had started the conversation for a pay hike for the nearly 900,000 civil servants to address low morale and improve service delivery in line with President William Ruto's agenda.
At the same time, Jumwa noted that there was need to employ more civil servants, saying the current number is too few to effectively serve 50 million Kenyans.
She was speaking at the Kenya School of Government in Mombasa after meeting officials from the institution and those from the Huduma centres in Coast region.
Jumwa was flanked by the Cabinet Administrative Secretary in the state department for Public Service Mary Kimonye.
Ms Jumwa said she arrived at the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action to find a demolished workforce due to low pay and hence her push to reverse the situation.
"It is true the civil servants are demolished. I have talked to the management and hence something needs to be done. I have started the conversation to have the salaries reviewed so as to revamp the morale," she said.
Saying that she was aware the country has no money and there was an economic downturn, Jumwa said she decided to push through the agenda to raise the morale of the employees.
"I am aware the economy is not doing well but I will still continue with the conversation to raise workers' salaries. We have to do something to revamp the morale of civil servants," she said.
The Cabinet secretary said she was familiarising herself with the institutions under her ministry in Coast region ahead of a planned tour by President William Ruto.
Jumwa said she was happy with service delivery at the Huduma centres, adding that working time will be increased from 7am to 7pm to serve more people.
"We are going to introduce shifts at the Huduma centres. Working time will be from 7am in the morning to 7pm in the evening to serve Kenyans better," she said.
The Cabinet secretary said the ministry was mulling plans to extend working time to 9pm in future and extend the Huduma centres to rural areas to reduce travel distance for a majority of Kenyans.
Jumwa however said such plans will come with the employment of more workers to offer services in those centres.
