Muturi denies MPs hefty perks with committee sittings freeze

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has limited parliamentary sittings to financial enquiries until January 25, denying lawmakers an opportunity to earn hefty allowances over the next month.

Parliament shut down all its operations on December 18 to allow MPs and staff to proceed for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and Mr Muturi said in a memo that committee sittings will be restricted over the next month.

Kenyan MPs, among the best paid in Africa, make much of their money from allowances earned for attending parliamentary committees given that a cap on the meetings was removed as part of a pay deal agreed in 2013.

The MPs have been holding committee sessions even when on recess in what has had the effect of increasing their monthly pay.

“No committee sittings shall be convened until January 25, unless special consideration is granted by my office,” Mr Muturi said in the memo.

“However, the Budget and Appropriations committee, the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Investment Committee are particularly encouraged to conclude any pending matters in good time as their term will come to an end upon commencement of the Fourth Session in accordance with standing orders,” added Mr Muturi.

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He is the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) chairman. Jeremiah Nyegenye, the PSC secretary, also announced the closure of Parliament restaurant, which offers subsidised meals to MPs. It will be reopened on January 25.

At the Senate, which has been running a separate lounge that offers tea and lunch to the 67 senators, similar services were also suspended.

The perks paid to the MPs, mainly in the form of sitting allowances, rose to Sh4.12 billion in the year ending June 2015, up from Sh3.19 billion. The MPs also spent Sh4.1 billion in travel last year.

Though each of the 416 members of the National Assembly and the Senate earns a basic monthly salary of about Sh550,000, allowances push their monthly take- home to more than Sh1 million.

They have repeatedly argued that they deserve higher salaries because their constituents expect them to provide charitable support.

Many Kenyans view MPs as symbols of a greedy political culture, seeking public office as an opportunity for personal gain at the expense of a country struggling with an unemployment rate that stands at more than 40 per cent.