Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has raised a motion that seeks to freeze the construction of lavish mansions for the top county officials in the country.
Speaking during the senate proceeding, Sakaja stated that the country cannot afford to fund the construction of houses for the Governors,their Deputies and even speakers who are pushing to have their official residences.
Sakaja argued that it if move is allowed to sail through even the senators will start demanding for houses.
Instead Sakaja is claiming that those in the process of construction should use as little funds as possible but freeze all other plans to build for the top county officials houses.
Our focus should be on our people's needs, not building residences for governors and their deputies! pic.twitter.com/9QScR3nV8y
— Sakaja Johnson (@SakajaJohnson) August 10, 2019
Currently governors, deputy governors and county assembly speakers pocket housing perks of up to Sh200,000 after counties failed to build official residences for them.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission of Kenya (SRC) had in 2015 directed counties to build residences for the governors and their deputies and county assembly speakers by June 30 after which the house allowances would be withdrawn.
Under the SRC guidelines of 2017, the Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu governors get Sh200,000 every month as house allowances while their colleagues in the other counties get Sh100,000.
Deputy governors in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu get Sh185,000 while their colleagues in the other counties get Sh90,000.
County assembly speakers in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu get Sh150, 000 in monthly rent allowances while their counterparts in the other counties get Sh75,000.
The Treasury is currently spending Sh5 million in monthly rent for the governors, Sh4.51million for deputies and 3.75 million for the speakers, increasing the burden on taxpayers, who also pay the officials other perks like transport and entertainment allowances.
But according to Sakaja enough is enough, the top county bosses should also face what a normal mwananchi experiences daily.