Members of Parliament (MPs) are proposing to have all constitutional commissions and independent offices’ office holders serve on a part-time basis.
The National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning says the plan if passed would address the ballooning wage bill as Kenya grapples with a bloated workforce.
In the Commission on Revenue Allocation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, it wants to revert all the 10 Chapter Fifteen Commissions office holders to serve part-time.
The lawmakers backed the proposal while scrutinising the Bill sponsored by Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa.
“Each commission shall constitute at least three but not more than nine members,” reads the Bill.
“There are many constitutional commissions and commissioners who are doing nothing but sitting continuously because they have developed an appetite for money,” Mr Barasa said.
“If you look at their lifestyle, packages, cars and other perks accorded to commissioners, they have more privileges than those accorded to an MP."
As per the SRC circular on remuneration and benefit for State officers, the chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the vice chairperson earn Sh924,000 and Sh765,188 per month respectively.
The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) chairperson who is also the Speaker of the National Assembly takes home Sh1.16 million per month.
The Chief Justice who is the chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) earns Sh1.3 million.
The chairpersons of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (National Land Commission (NLC), CRA, Public Service Commission (PSC), SRC, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and National Police Service Commission NPSC) take home a monthly salary of Sh765,188.
Part-time and co-opted members of full-time constitutional commissions and independent offices are paid sitting allowance at the rate of Sh40,000 per sitting up to a maximum of Sh320,000 per month.
