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Kenya: MPs, Salaries Commission hold talks

Salaries and Remuneration Commission chairperson Sarah Serem at a past function.The Parliamentary Service Commission and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission held a closed-door meeting Monday evening in Nairobi’s Continental House to discuss the new pay for MPs.

A well-placed source familiar with the negotiations of salaries between PSC and the SRC told the Nation before the meeting that the PSC commissioners wanted the salaries team to either implement the Sh851,000 pay that the MPs of the 10th Parliament earned, or go by the new pay structure that the two teams had discussed late last month.

The pay structure, which the SRC later disowned, was for the MPs to get paid the Sh532,500 as proposed by the salaries agency, and then, a fixed vehicle allowance of Sh496,411.

If the SRC agrees to this package, an MP will get a minimum of Sh1,028,911 every month. Every year, the pay of MPs will go up by Sh44,375.

The PSC also wanted the commission to double the sitting allowances for MPs from Sh5,000 to Sh10,000; raise the perks for the vice-chairperson of a committee from Sh8,000 to Sh15,000; and double that of the chairperson from the current Sh10,000 to Sh20,000.

The PSC also wanted the MPs to meet whenever they want, rather than the proposal by the salaries commission to cap the allowances at a maximum of 40 per cent of the next pay.

The SRC was also expected to confirm that the Sh5 million car grant for the MPs, with duty fully paid, was also part of the emoluments.

When they got into the meeting, neither the members of the PSC, including Speaker Justin Muturi, nor those of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, including chairperson Sarah Serem responded to queries about the venue of the meeting.

The salaries commission, after threats of having its budget slashed, also decided to play ball.

The senate representatives to the PSC –Mr David Musila, Mrs Beth Mugo and Mr Sammy Leshore — also had another brief, to ensure that senators earned more than the members of the National Assembly because they represent more people than MPs.

Source: Daily Nation 

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