President Uhuru Kenyatta has slammed a bid by Members of Parliament (MPs) to raise their salary by clipping the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
MPs had sought to give themselves powers to determine payment of allowances to themselves and staff for activities outside the precincts of parliament, and this could be reviewed every three years.
The head of state said that the mandate of reviewing the domestic and international travel allowances lies with the SRC, a mandate the legislatures wanted to be left to their employer, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
In a memorandum dated August 16, President Kenyatta sought to calm the turmoil between MPs and SRC and said the Bill would only pass with amendments that factor in SRC’s nod in any salary review.
In June 2018, 416 lawmakers tasked PSC to engage SRC in their bid to undo the pay cut affected in the run-up to 2017 General Elections.
The Services and Facilities Committee chaired by Ezekiel Ombaki (Nyaribari Masaba) tabled a report in the House and recommended enhanced pay and other allowances for the MPs.
The committee wanted the matter to be dealt with immediately, and at the time, gave the PSC six months to push for the increased salaries and allowances as well as car grants.
According to a Gazette Notice by SRC in November 2017 spelled that MPs be paid a maximum gross salary of Sh621,000; Sh8,000 in sitting allowance for chairs of committees; Sh5,000 in sitting allowance for members.
Other benefits are medical cover, retirement benefit, life insurance of three times their annual basic pay, accident cover, Sh7 million car loan, and Sh20 million mortgage.
MPs have been bidding for a Sh250,000 monthly house allowance, an issue that escalated tension between PSC and SRC, hence the amendments to the Service Bill.
The President has proposed that MPs insert the phrase “on the advice of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission” in the clause where PSC was to get express powers to determine pay.
