Nairobi — The Public Service Commission (PSC) has unveiled a draft policy that seeks to limit salary advances for civil servants, capping them at an amount not exceeding one month's pay.

This proposal, part of the Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual, is aimed at safeguarding the financial stability of state officers by preventing excessive deductions from their pay slips.

The draft document outlines that an advance of up to one month's salary can be granted to a public officer by an accounting officer under specific circumstances.

These circumstances involve financial hardships that the officer could not have foreseen or planned for, such as unexpected personal emergencies or significant unforeseen expenses.

"An advance under this regulation may be granted only when an officer has no other outstanding salary advance. In very exceptional circumstances, an Accounting Officer may grant an advance of not more than two (2) months' salary in situations similar to those in paragraph (1) above if he is satisfied that the officer needs assistance in excess of one month's salary advance," read the draft by PSC in part.

The draft policy also highlights that, in extraordinary cases, an officer may be granted an advance of up to two months' salary.

Such exceptions would be made only if the accounting officer is convinced that the officer's situation warrants additional support beyond the one-month limit.

However, these exceptional cases would be rare and heavily scrutinised to ensure that the policy's intent is upheld.

Moreover, the policy proposes a strict repayment plan for any salary advances, mandating that the amount be fully recovered within a maximum of 12 months.

For officers who are due to retire or leave the service before the end of this period, the policy requires that the advance be recovered in equal installments within the remaining time of their employment.

This proposed cap marks the first formal attempt by the PSC to regulate salary advances for civil servants.

Previously, there were no standardised limits, leading to instances where some officers accrued significant debts that heavily impacted their take-home pay.

The proposal comes on the back of heightened financial pressure on public servants, many of whom are facing increased living costs and personal financial challenges.