MPs accuse Parliamentary Service Commission of welfare bias, seek more perks

Nairobi, Kenya: MPs have turned the heat on their colleagues who sit in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) for being egocentric on welfare matters.

They complained the commissioners were earning eight times more in sitting allowances than what other MPs are paid, saying the policy was discriminatory. The commissioners are paid Sh40,000 per sitting.

The MPs raised the issues with the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi at an informal meeting on Tuesday.

The Speaker reportedly told MPs that the amount was approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

An MP who sits in the commission told The Standard on condition of anonymity that there was a letter from the SRC increasing the perks for the commissioners from Sh20,000 per sitting to Sh40,000.

When The Standard contacted the SRC chairperson Sarah Serem, she confirmed the increase.

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"There are three part-time commissions. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the Judicial Service Commission and the PSC. For the purpose of parity, we treat all of them as the same. The PSC is different from the MPs, because it is an independent commission," said Serem.

She added: "They are only paid for a maximum of eight times per month, even if they sit more times."

MPs get Sh7,500 in sitting allowances while House committee chairmen get Sh15,000 per sitting.

The MPs who attended the Kamukunji were speaking off-the-record because they said they had all agreed not to leak details of their discussion to the public.

Another MP said they told the Speaker, who is the chairman of the PSC, and the rest of the commissioners who attended, that they felt their welfare had been ignored.

"They have designated parking space. We don't. We have to struggle to find space to park our vehicles," one of the MPs said.

The lawmakers also complained that they did not feel safe when they move between Parliament Buildings to their offices in Continental House and in Harambee Sacco Plaza. They also said that once they are out of Parliament Buildings, they felt exposed.

It is also understood that the MPs vowed to amend the pension laws to remove the two-term minimum requirement as a qualification for pension.

The issues were so many that the Speaker agreed to postpone the proceedings until next Tuesday.