Kyrgyzstan Proposes Salary Cuts for Underperforming Officials
The Kyrgyz presidential administration is developing new mechanisms to penalize officials for repeated disciplinary offenses, including salary reductions and forfeiture of bonuses. The initiative, aimed at improving accountability in the civil service, was announced by Azamat Osmonov, Head of the Department of Control of Execution of Decisions of the President and Cabinet of Ministers. According to Osmonov, 56 civil servants were disciplined in 2024 for misconduct. Among them: 7 officials, including akims (local governors), their deputies, and senior government officials, were dismissed. 27 officials, including one minister, received reprimands. 22 officials faced additional disciplinary actions. The presidential administration and the Cabinet of Ministers are set to convene a board meeting to review the performance of state agency heads for 2024. “Unfortunately, current regulations allow the same official to be reprimanded repeatedly without serious consequences. We intend to change this practice: if an official has already been disciplined, a repeated offense should lead to dismissal,” Osmonov stated. In addition to stricter dismissal policies, the government is considering financial penalties as an alternative punishment. “We are introducing the monetization of disciplinary measures: after receiving a reprimand, an official will be ineligible for bonuses, and their salary will be reduced. This should create additional motivation to comply with discipline,” Osmonov explained. The proposed mechanism is currently under development and will be integrated into the Code of Administrative Violations. Kyrgyzstan already enforces financial penalties for civil servants who fail to meet deadlines for addressing citizens' appeals. The current fine stands at 100 calculation indices (a fixed monetary unit used for penalties and state fees). “We will further refine this approach by drafting new legal regulations to enhance officials' accountability and improve the quality of work within state institutions,” Osmonov added.