Principal secretaries trimmed from 80 to 38

The country’s top civil servant, speaking at an orientation meeting in Lilongwe attended by 32 PSs as six sent apologies, said the reduction aligns senior positions with actual functional needs instead of just inflating the payroll. The move aims to streamline the civil service, instil discipline and boost performance, according to Saidi. Additionally, The Nation’s rough calculations show that thanks to lower numbers of PSs, government will also save close to K2.2 billion in salaries and fuel allocations annually.

With two senior PSs yesterday corroborating that the lowest paid PS gets K1.7 million per month in basic pay translating to K20.4 million annually and around K775 million for all the 38, government will save about K857 million from roughly K1.632 billion that was splashed on the 80-plus strong contingent. Capital Hill is also saving on fuel entitlements. A PS is entitled to 500 litres a month, translating to 6 000 litres a year, which meant the 80 PSs would be guzzling 480 000 litres a year.

At current prices averaging K4, 955 per litre, that comes to nearly K2.48 million per month and roughly K29.73 million per PS annually. For all the 80 officers, that cost would be K2.378 billion annually. At the same allocation of 500 litres per month, the 38 PSs would need 228 000 litres or K1.13 billion a year, saving the country around K1.3 billion.

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And if government were to buy a Toyota Prado TX for each PS as per entitlement at K425 million based on current prices, 80 PSs would cost K34 billion against K16.15 billion that the 38 PSs would spend. “Previously, some positions were not established. They were created simply to increase the number of PSs.

We reviewed the roles and the establishment, and that is why we now have 38 instead of over 80. It is about aligning positions with need,” said Saidi. In an interview yesterday, Office of the President and Cabinet spokesperson Focus Maganga said some PSs were on secondment from public universities and have since returned to their institutions while others had retired and some held “fake contracts” and were relieved of their duties. During the meeting, Saidi also warned against a culture of shifting underperforming staff between ministries instead of disciplining them.

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