Veterinary doctors seeking better pay have received a boost after key government agencies backed a fresh review of their salaries and allowances, reviving calls to address the earnings gap between them and medical doctors.
The development came on Thursday when the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and two state departments acknowledged the need to reassess veterinarians’ remuneration during a session with the National Assembly Labour Committee.
The discussions followed a petition by the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA), which wants veterinary doctors’ pay harmonised with that of medical doctors.
Although the agencies supported a review of the existing pay arrangements, they did not endorse an automatic move to give the two groups equal salaries. Instead, they called for an evidence-based assessment of job grades, responsibilities and allowances before any decisions are made.
PSC chief executive Paul Famba told the committee that veterinary doctors are important professionals in the health sector and that their work should not be regarded as less valuable than that of doctors who treat human patients.
He explained that the two groups operate under the same basic salary structure in the public service, with differences in their overall earnings largely arising from allowances and collective bargaining agreements.
“There is no separate veterinary scale to harmonise. The earnings gap arises from allowances tied to 24-hour hospital duty and the 2017 KMPDU Collective Bargaining Agreement,” he said.
Famba’s explanation placed the focus on the additional payments and employment agreements that contribute to the difference in earnings, rather than on the basic salary structure itself.
The State Department for Livestock Development also backed a detailed assessment of the issue. Representing the department, Abraham Sangula urged the SRC to carry out a comparative job evaluation to establish whether changes to veterinarians’ remuneration are justified.
Sangula said the exercise should consider the qualifications required for each profession, the training involved, the risks professionals face while performing their duties and the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value.
The proposed assessment would provide a basis for comparing the two cadres while taking account of the demands and conditions attached to their respective jobs.
The support from the agencies marks progress for the KVA, which took its concerns to Parliament in a bid to secure a review of veterinary doctors’ pay. However, the question of whether their salaries should match those of medical doctors remains unresolved.
The agencies’ position points to a review based on job requirements and the factors that shape overall earnings, rather than an automatic adjustment of salaries. The outcome of the proposed evaluation is expected to help inform any further decisions on the remuneration of veterinary officers.