Why senators want government to raise intern stipends to Sh50,000

Senators have called on the government to review the guidelines to Public Service Internship Programme by increasing the stipend offered to interns to at least Sh50,000 per month to cushion them against the high cost of living and put in place mechanisms to promote and reward innovation.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei who moved the motion in the floor of the house said that they are concerned that internship opportunities are limited in number, skewed in distribution across government Departments and Agencies and lack clear pathway to permanent employment.

Cherargei said the interns have inadequate opportunities for skill development due to the short duration that they are offered. He added that the stipend offered to Public Service Commission interns is insufficient with an average stipend ranging from Sh15,000 to Sh30,000 per month which is not sustainable especially to interns living in major cities like Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

“Apart from transiting the interns to permanent and pensionable terms let us increase the stipend given to them to at least Sh50,000, how do you pay Sh15,000 to an intern in Nairobi, with this sum where will you get a decent house,” wondered Cherargei.

The Nandi Senator said that in the Financial Year 2025/2026 there are 7,000 internship positions available across ministries, departments, state agencies, corporations and public universities, yet, every year, approximately 250,000 graduates are churned out of universities, colleges and polytechnics.

Cherargei added that there is need to ensure the interns transit into permanent and pensionable terms saying that is one of the concerns that he was raising with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and other agencies, including county governments.

He said that he does not see any need why a young person, a Kenyan youth, would become an intern for 12 months and then you release them into the streets saying one, we lose the experience and resources that we have invested in that young person to work within that department.

“Let it be like the National Youth Service where when there is recruitment of the Police and the military, they are given priority to be employed as members of the disciplinary forces in this country, we are losing a lot, we must ensure that any young person who does internship in state law office, ministries and county governments is transited into permanent and pensionable terms,” said Cherargei.

The Nandi Senator told the house that it is unbelievable that less than 20 per cent of interns secure full-time public sector employment post-internship and that it was very important that they create public service graduate talent pool to match the interns with the young people.

Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri who seconded the motion said that young people are literally begging for everything starting from food, healthcare, education, upkeep and even little entertainment and that looking at the prevailing conditions, young people are looking for somewhere to find shelter.

Okenyuri said the stipend for interns should be at least Sh50,000 because there is need to change the perception of how they look at young people who volunteer their services as interns and that it should not be a favour and that organisations should know that this is mandatory in shaping skills of future employees in different departments.

“I support this Motion largely because it paints the picture of an ordinary young person from a rural area who sometimes you cannot even locate the coordinates, Interns in rural localities should not be given the same stipend like those in urban areas, for example, interns in Nairobi are likely to experience a high cost of living compared to those in other localities,” said Okenyuri.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said that while he supports what the Motion seeks to do, it was high time the country had a conversation since currently the government is spending close to Sh90 billion every month on paying public workers across the country, from teachers to doctors to Members of Parliament and all the people who earn from taxes.

Cheruiyot said the question that was being asked is whether that is sustainable in light of the amount of money that we collect, knowing fully well that last year, which is the best year in terms of revenue performance, we collected slightly above Sh2.5 trillion with nearly 40 per cent of that amount goes towards paying the salaries of public workers.

The Senate Majority Leader said this is a conversation that we shall soon be having because we are about to begin consideration of the Budget Policy Statement, if you compare the amount being spent, the people earning and those that are contributing, there is a serious discrepancy.

“In as much as it is important to employ public servants, we must reduce expenditure and these are things that we have to tell each other, It may not sound popular, but even those that are being employed, should be concerned, since at the rate at which we are moving, very soon, we may not be able to afford salaries of public workers,” said Cheruiyot.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said there is a yearning for young people to gain full employment and that the problem is that we have failed to create enough opportunities which is shown by the sheer number of people who apply for jobs when an advertisement is put out, these are youths who want to work for the country.

Sifuna said it is their responsibility as leaders to create these opportunities for them and that when somebody lands an internship in the public service, they actually see it as a job and are always looking to see if they can be confirmed in those roles and to push the envelope as much as possible because they are not assured of another job.

The Nairobi Senator said in terms of the amount they are receiving the interns are doing a bit better than the Junior Secondary School teachers, who are earning Sh17,000 as a full-time salary and that surviving in the city with this amount is almost a miracle.

“I do not know what the global recommended amount of money or percentage of your salary that you should spend on accommodation, but at least 30 per cent should go to finding you accommodation. If you did 30 per cent of Sh17,000, it is just slightly above Sh5,000, show me where in Nairobi, a teacher will find a decent place to stay with this,” asked Sifuna.