Barely a month after Members of Parliament were stopped by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) from drawing house allowances, the same MPs now demand a Ksh.2.9 Million monthly pay each.
In a leaked memo written to the SRC from the Parliamentary, shows that the MPs now want a salary increment of up to Ksh.2.9 Million so as to better their lives as the representatives of the people.
The MPs have severally denied publicly denied asking for a salary increase, however the Memo proves otherwise.
According to the Memorandum seen by a local media house, salary for each of the 415 Members of Parliament salary and allowances would amount to around 3 Million shillings each per month.
In the PSC letter signed by their Chairperson and Speaker Justin Muturi, the MPs want a basic salary of Ksh. 1, 156,108 from the current Ksh. 532, 500 arguing that the MP runs the same level as that of the Judge of Appeal while the two speakers of the Parliament rank at the same level as the Deputy President of Kenya and the Chief Justice.
A leaked memo from speaker Muturi to SRC shows how MPs want more perks.#NTVTonight @DennisOkari @brendamulinya pic.twitter.com/7kzbZPIx1G
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) July 8, 2019
This is happening just a few days after the MPs were exposed silently pocketing night allowances of at least Ksh.18,200 each, four times a week, for each night spent in the city, attending parliamentary sittings. In total each lawmaker has been drawing Ksh.72,000 every week, or Ksh.291,200 every month.
Greed on steroids:
MPs now award themselves a night allowance. Legislators to draw daily allowance of Ksh.18,500. MPs to be paid at least four days a week.
Move aimed at circumventing house allowance freeze.
Speaker Muturi defends decision, says justified #CitizenWeekend pic.twitter.com/mSR5zijztE
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 6, 2019
The night allowance was endorsed by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) chaired by Speaker Muturi after the High Court stopped payment of house allowances to MPs at the tail end of May, following an objection by SRC and public interest litigant Okiya Omtata.
With the August House yet accused of runaway greed, Muturi has defended the night allowances, insisting he had a duty to facilitate MPs attend house sittings after the house allowance gravy train was stopped.