MPs block high-paying State officer double appointments

Parliament has shot down proposals to allow State officers to serve on constitutional commissions, averting potential double salaries.

MPs rejected the National Cohesion and Peace Building Commission (NCPBC) Bill which has left it open for such officers to serve as members of the commission.

For instance, if approved the Bill would have seen a senior civil servant in the Interior department whose mandate is to keep the country safe and secure appointed as a commissioner at the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC).

This would have meant that a senior civil servant who falls under grade E4 earns salary from the Ministry and is also paid for sitting on the NCIC board.

According to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission structure of July 2017, senior civil servants who fall under grade E4 earn Sh406,107 monthly in gross salary.

This means the State officer appointed to the boards of the commissions would earn a similar salary bringing the monthly take-home to Sh812,214.

In rejecting the Bill that sought to abolish the (NCIC) and replace it with NCPBC, the committee cited Article 77(1) of the Constitution which provides that a full-time State officer shall not participate in any other gainful employment.

“The committee recommends that the Bill be rejected on grounds that it allows State officers to be appointed as members of the commission,” the Maina Kamanda-led committee said in the report.

The National Assembly’s committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunity also slammed the door on proposals to have former commissioners appointed to the proposed NCPBC saying it negates the principles of Mwongozo Code of Conduct which recommends that membership in a particular institution should not exceed six years.