Kenyan Parliament sits for three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), with some committee meetings scheduled for Mondays — some members sit in two committees which means that if lawmakers are successful in passing the accommodation allowance , then they will literally be living in hotels.
However, that is not the issue that Kenyans are concerned about , what the MPs are demanding during the days they will in house duty is what is of concern to taxpayers.
Although the figure for the new allowance was not immediately available, in justifying their demands, the committee benchmarked in New Zealand, where lawmakers are paid up to Sh400,000 every time they are in town, suggesting the kind of perks they are eyeing.
In a rough estimate, the MPs could pocket close to Ksh 30 billion in one term presidential term
No of MPs-349
House days-3(Tues, Wed & Thur)
Allowances claiming-400k each
400k*3=1,200,000m each per week
1.2m *349=419m all mps in a month
12 months — 419m* 12=5billion
5billion * 5= 30billion— Roman Kinyanjui (@Romankinyash) March 26, 2019
Among its proposals is that all the 416 members and Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament be given official residences or a “suitable house allowance” in line with the Employment Act.
What can 30 billion do?
In 2018 — India government gave Kenya a Sh4.5 billion loan to revive the ailing Rift Valley Textile (Rivatex) factory in Eldoret and extend affordable credit to small and medium-scale enterprises.
India also gave Kenya the latest radiotherapy machine, which is estimated to cost Sh300 million, is one of the latest top-of-the-range technologies from India.
This means , Ksh 30 billion can equip modern cancer research centers with 100 radiotherapy machines.
With over 38 million people, Kenya is one of the most populated countries in East Africa. As in most countries, cancer figures are rising.
However, the availability of radiotherapy services is limited to one comprehensive public radiotherapy unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi, which is unable to meet the country’s growing cancer care needs. Patients often have to wait for up to four months to receive treatment. Furthermore, 80% of these patients are diagnosed at a late stage due to inadequate diagnostic services.
Currently Kenya In total, Kenya boasts of 12 radiotherapy machines. Kenyatta National Hospital has three while the rest are in the private sector — two each at Nairobi Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, Texas Cancer Centre and HCG-CCK Cancer Centre.
Outside Nairobi, there is only one radiotherapy machine at Eldoret Hospital in western Kenya.