Willis Otieno calls for salary caps in Public Service to restore genuine leadership
By Valerian Khakayi, August 17, 2025Prominent lawyer and Safina’s deputy party leader, Willis Otieno, has called for salary caps in Kenya’s public service, arguing that the move would mark the beginning of genuine leadership in the country.
In a statement shared on his official X account on Sunday, August 17, 2025, Otieno said that the current high pay structure has distorted incentives in public office, attracting opportunists who see politics as a business venture rather than a platform for service.
He noted that this trend has worsened corruption and misgovernance in Kenya.
“The day we cap salaries in public service will mark the beginning of genuine leadership. High pay has distorted incentives, attracting opportunists who view the office as a business venture rather than a platform for service,” Willis Otieno said.
In addition, the vocal political commentator compared Kenya’s current situation to those in other countries, where innovators and businesspeople make money by adding value. But he says in Kenya, politicians are the ones who enrich themselves at the expense of the economy.
To guarantee that only individuals dedicated to public service run for office, Otieno underlined the necessity of a logical system that rewards performance rather than position.
He maintained that such reforms would assist in realigning public service with its actual mission, which is to serve citizens rather than enrich private citizens.
“Around the world, those who build wealth do so through enterprise, innovation, and productivity. In Kenya, it is politicians who become wealthy without creating value,” he added.
“That inversion explains much of our corruption and misgovernance. A rational system would reward performance, not position, ensuring that only those committed to public duty seek office.”
Corruption
Notably, Willy’s suggestion comes after Ruto urged the Speakers of the National Assembly and the Senate to emphasise the need for transparency and accountability among the Parliamentarians.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County on Thursday, August 14, 2025, the president singled out members of the House Oversight Committees for using sessions to extort money from guests appearing to respond to audit or budgetary queries.
“Mr. Speaker, it cannot continue to be business as usual. It is unacceptable that parliamentary committees continue to demand bribes in order to write reports or to turn a blind eye to what is happening in the national or county governments,” Ruto said.
“If we allow corruption to thrive within oversight bodies, then we undermine the very foundation of our democracy. It should not be possible for a committee of Parliament to demand payment to write reports or to look the other way.”