MPs’ local staff go for three months without salaries

Parliament has not paid staff working for MPs in constituencies and county offices their salaries for the three months to December.

The staff have gone without pay from September 8, 2022, when the 13th Parliament lawmakers were sworn-in.

There are more than 7,500 staff working for the 416-member bi-cameral Parliament excluding the two Speakers.

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The revelations were made on the floor of the Parliament when Nyando MP Jared Okelo drew the attention of the House to the plight of the staff.

Mr Okelo asked the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) chairman and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula to urgently release payments to constituency and county offices, saying support staff are on the verge of being evicted from their rental houses.

Mr Wetang'ula was not in the House at the time

“Allow me to flag an issue that is of concern to all MPs. That is the inordinate delay in the remission of funds from PSC to our workers on the ground. It has been more than three months since the workers signed their contracts,” Mr Okelo told temporary deputy Speaker Rachael Nyamai who did not respond to the concern.

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“It is a concern that these people (staff) have families to take care of, they have school fees to settle and many other attendant issues. So your good office needs to help us look into this matter.”

The Treasury allocated Sh50 billion to finance MPs and staff operations in the current financial year.

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