Striking teachers demonstrate in KIsumu after defying the order to return to class of face the sack. The teachers dared the government to go ahead with the threat to sack them. There are pay disparity between government officials with the same qualifications working in different sectors. Workers attached to constitutional offices earn more than those in the civil service, despite possessing the same skills and experience. Teachers and instructors at various levels of education, medical and clinical officers, civil engineers, typists and clerks within the public sector are underpaid for the work they do. PHOTO/FILE 

The pay disparity between government officials with the same qualifications, but working in different sectors, can now be revealed.
It has emerged that workers attached to constitutional offices earn more than those in the civil service, despite possessing the same skills and experience.
Teachers and instructors at various levels of education, medical and clinical officers, civil engineers, typists and clerks within the public sector are underpaid for the work they do.
Other professionals in the civil service who suffer a wage penalty—which results in a pay gap—include service workers, skilled farm, fishery and wildlife related workers, craft and related workers, plant and machine operators and assemblers.
This is the opposite for their counterparts in the private sector who are given better wages despite possessing similar qualifications.
Within the civil service, the report found out that legislators, administrators and managers are overpaid.
Although workers in the private sector earn more, wage differentials in State corporations and parastatals, constitutional offices and local government, the report says, are in favour of the public sector due to the allowances attached to them.
A detailed report with the pay structure shows those who work in constitutional offices and State corporations receive a higher pay compared to those who work in the civil service.
It is for this reason that, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission led by Ms Sarah Serem will undertake a job evaluation aimed placing salaries of government workers with the same qualifications at the same level.
Secretarial, clerical and related workers across the public sector generally earn less than what the private sector offers for similar work.
Wage penalties by different occupations reveal that a primary school teacher in the civil service has a wage penalty of Sh6,783 and Sh7,000 in the county government.
Those in secondary schools get Sh15,629 less of what they are supposed to get in terms of basic salary.
University and post-secondary teachers in state corporations face a wage penalty of Sh6,941.
The report found out that other teachers and instructors in civil service earn a basic wage penalty of Sh25,675.
Medical officers are being underpaid by Sh7,940.