Sedimentation of salary supplements within the Congolese civil service: case studies in the Ministry of Finances and Ministry of Budget

Using the negotiated statehood framework, this paper delves into the dynamics of accumulating salary supplements within the Congolese core civil service departments that have benefited the most from these practices and where they initially emerged in recent decades, before extending to other ministries. The principal findings of this study, derived from data from the Payroll Department of the Ministry of Budget and the Department of Treasury and Funding Resources of the Ministry of Finance, reveal that none of the bonuses paid in the analysed departments adhere to the Civil Service General Statute's requirements. This statute delineates the permissible number of bonuses and the conditions for instituting new bonuses, restricting their total to twothirds of the base salary. These departments have adeptly transformed their routine duties into bureaucratic norms to negotiate new bonuses, facilitated by informal accountabilities between senior civil servants and the ministerial authorities.