The National Assembly Chambers. Members of Parliament plan to annul the gazette notice the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) published on March 1 slashing their monthly salaries to Sh543,000 down from Sh850,000. Photo/File
Members of Parliament plan to annul the gazette notice the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) published on March 1 slashing their monthly salaries to Sh543,000 down from Sh850,000.
MPs intend to commence the process of reversing the legal notice through the Committee on Delegated Legislation which is expected to be formally constituted Tuesday afternoon.
Once the committee is formed, it will commence the process of investigating the conduct of SRC and recommend whether or not the 14 member commission should be removed from office for “gross violation of the Constitution and gross misconduct” for reviewing MPs salaries downwards.
Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi who has prepared 18 counts charge sheet and a further 12 charges against the Sarah Serem-led commission will defend his petition seeking the removal of the commissioners.
Speaker Justin Muturi on Thursday referred the petition to the relevant departmental committee for action.
“I have not heard you direct that the Committee on Delegated Legislation be seized of the matter so that we can deal with the issue of our payment as soon as possible and get paid tomorrow (Friday), Kitutu Chache North MP Jimmy Angwenyi said on Thursday.
The Parliamentary Service Commission will use the committee to propose amendments that will annul the gazette notice in order to facilitate payment of salaries that were paid to members of the 10th Parliament. MPs and Senators have not been paid since taking office on March 28.
On Thursday PSC vice chairman Adan Keynan tabled in the House a Sh24.5 billion budget that includes salaries and allowances fixed at the rate of the 10th Parliament’s.
PSC defied SRC’s notice that set the new salaries to table the budget that contains Sh841.2 million to pay MPs salaries and an additional Sh3.3 billion for personal allowances payable to the lawmakers in the next financial year beginning July.
Based on the amounts set for salaries and allowances, each of the 349 Members of the National Assembly and the Speaker are entitled to a monthly salary of Sh200,285 and Sh788,057 in allowances while the 67 senators and the Speaker will be entitled to a monthly package of Sh1.36 million, including Sh812,525 in allowances and a basic pay of Sh550, 875.
The 418 members of Parliament will also be entitled to a Sh7 million car grant once the SRC notice is reversed by the committee. SRC had allowed each member to take a loan of Sh7 million that will be repayable at a three per cent per annum interest.
In a bid to fast track the exercise of repealing the SRC gazette notice, Mr Muturi directed the Majority and Minority whips to ensure that the list of members to serve in the 28 departmental and select committees is tabled and approved by Parliament Tuesday.
The delay in constituting the House committees was occasioned by a stand-off between the ruling Jubilee alliance and the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) which are locked in a tussle over the composition and leadership of the watchdog committees, the Public Accounts and the Public Investments.
“I direct the Whips of the Majority and Minority parties to ensure that the list of all members to the committees be tabled on Tuesday for approval without fail. We cannot afford to let Kenyans down given the amount of work ahead of us,” ordered Muturi on Thursday.
Cord, which has a minority membership in the House has laid claim on the chairmanship of the two committees and majority in its composition.
Jubilee which is entitled by Standing Orders to have 17 members out of the total 27 has ceded ground to allow Cord have 13 instead of 10 slots.
“We have ceded ground from 17 to 14 slots. But Cord is insisting that it gets the 14 slots and Jubilee takes 13 despite them chairing the two committees. This is not acceptable,” said Katoo ole Metito, the Majority Party Whip.
Minority Leader Francis Nyenze said Cord will not accept to chair the two oversight committees unless it has majority membership because the opposition “will be lame duck.”
“Our position is that we have to chair the two committees and have majority membership. That position has not changed, it will not change and it will never change,” Nyenze said.
Minority Whip Gideon Mung’aro told Business Daily that Cord had completed its list of members to the various committees two weeks ago.
“We have completed our list of members to the committees. In fact ours was complete two weeks ago. It’s the Jubilee side that is delaying us,” said the Malindi MP.
The delay in constitution the committees has stalled business of the House because substantive business such as Bills cannot be transacted without committee scrutiny.
