By Jerameel Kevins Owuor Odhiambo
Worth Noting:
- This begets the question, who will fund these unnecessary allowances to the legislators? Definitely it will be the citizens who will fund the same. Am just wondering if the same question was posed to Kenyans will they agree for the allowances to be reintroduced? With the economic situation in the country you and I know what they will say.
- Interestingly, the Members of National Assembly represent the people from various places in Kenya. The Constitution as well paves way for the roles of legislators which include representation, oversight and legislation.
- Three fold functions bequeathed unto them. Even before the convened for them to embark on their job; the first thing they thought of was their stomach. They care not about the plight of other Kenyans.
The more things change in Kenya the more things remain the same unfortunately. I am reminded of the analogy that the monkeys keep on changing and the forest remains the same. It seems this is a replica of Parliament in Kenya. Perhaps it might be in order that I set off from genesis as I move through the exodus of the whole issue that this paper delves on. On 9th of August 2022 Kenyans exercised their democratic right by voting for their preferred leaders from the Member of County Assembly to the Presidency level. My major concern has to do with members of parliament (Senate and National Assembly). These folks were elected and they took oath office before the various Clerks of the various houses. Currently as we all know, they are being inducted into their roles. That’s plausible perhaps.
During their induction an issue arose on matters pertaining their payments and allowances. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission earlier in July had scrapped off a number of the members of parliament allowances in a bid to ensure that taxpayers save over one billion shillings annually in plenary sitting allowances earned in committees. According to the SRC, Mps earn about KES 5000 for every sitting and the abolishment of the allowances for plenary sessions in the National Assembly and Senate was meant to ease the pressure on the public sector wage bill which is currently at 930.5 billion annually.
The functions of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission include but not limited to: inquire into and advise on the salaries and remuneration to be paid out of public funds, advise the county and national governments on the harmonization, equity and fairness of remuneration for the attraction and retention of requisite skills in the public sector; conduct comparative surveys on the labour markets and trends in remuneration to determine the monetary worth of jobs of public officers, determine the cycle of salaries and remuneration review upon which parliament may allocate funds for implementation, make recommendations on the review of pensions payable to holders of public offices, make recommendations on matters relating to the salary and remuneration of a particular state or public officer.
The current Speaker of the National Assembly Honourable Moses Wetangula Masika while addressing the Members of national Assembly at Safari park Hotel along Thika Road told the legislators that he will be keen to champion for their welfare and reintroduction of allowances scrapped off by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. He reiterated that nobody with his right senses will interfere with the legislators’ car allowances, mortgage, mileage and everything that belongs to the Members of Parliament. According to the Speaker, the allowances are crucial for the discharge of MPs work as people’s representatives.
The first meeting he had planned to meet the Salaries and Remuneration Commission took place and unfortunately it yielded no fruit for the parliamentary team and the commission failed to agree on how to settle the differences. However, Wetangula was positive that overtime the talks will yield fruits. He added that, ‘Obviously we live incrementally we don’t live in reduction, so our engagement with Salaries and Remuneration Commission is to remind them that as they go about their constitutional mandate they should be alive to the fact that issues pertaining perks that members have been enjoying in the last several parliaments should not be unnecessarily interfered with.’ Azimio Majority Leader Designate Opiyo Wandayi welcomed the ongoing talks between SRC and Parliamentary Service Commission saying it is in the right direction. ‘It is encouraging. Although SRC is independent, things work better if we embrace the spirit of dialogue and consultations,’ Wandayi who is the Ugunja MP said.
This begets the question, who will fund these unnecessary allowances to the legislators? Definitely it will be the citizens who will fund the same. Am just wondering if the same question was posed to Kenyans will they agree for the allowances to be reintroduced? With the economic situation in the country you and I know what they will say. Interestingly, the Members of National Assembly represent the people from various places in Kenya. The Constitution as well paves way for the roles of legislators which include representation, oversight and legislation. Three fold functions bequeathed unto them. Even before the convened for them to embark on their job; the first thing they thought of was their stomach. They care not about the plight of other Kenyans.
Let me stop going through unnecessary corners, our Members of Parliament are damn selfish and perhaps this needs to end soonest. Haven’t you heard of cases in the past whereby some Members of National Assembly were being bribed with a tune of over 100,000 so as to pass a certain bill or piece of legislation? Yet that bill has a negative effect of Kenyans. In short these folks care not about our welfare yet they are supposed to be our representatives.
The allowances given to Members of National Assembly are they sustainable under the current circumstances that we are in as a nation? With the debt ceiling over eight billion and the dire economic crisis that is looming? Somebody needs to drill some sense to these Members of Parliament. It they are granted the allowances me believes that it will be a case of misplaced priorities. There are more pressing issues that that one billion can achieve and meet rather than massaging the ego of Members of Parliament.
In fact I do propose that in future we should reconsider the issues of giving allowances and salaries to the Mps. There is nobody who goes to school to study a course that leads one to be a career Mps. These folks have studied various courses and can earn from their careers. Why should they be paid again as Mps? Me thinks a lot of taxpayers can be saved if salaries and allowances of Mps are scrapped. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. If this can’t happen then the Mps should live within their means increasing unnecessarily isn’t prudent. Let them have the plight of Kenyans at heart just once. Tumbocracy must tamed by all means.
As always I am messenger.
Odhiambo Jerameel Kevins Owuor is a law student at University of Nairobi, Parklands Campus.
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