Raila: I can’t take Kalonzo pay package

By Vitalis Kimutai

Prime Minister Raila Odinga will not accept the same salary as Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Instead, the PM is demanding that he be paid salary and allowances that are more than the VP’s and slightly less than what President Kibaki gets.

"If I’m going to be paid an equivalent of what the Vice-President earns, I will not take it. I would rather stay without the money," Raila said on vernacular Kass FM yesterday morning.

Raila also disclosed that he had initially accepted former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s invitation to Geneva and only withdrew after learning that President Kibaki would not honour the invitation.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga chairs a taskforce on the rehabilitation of infrastructure in Eastleigh at Treasury Building, Nairobi, on Tuesday. [pHOTO: PMPS/standard]

During the breakfast show on the radio station, Raila said according to the

National Accord, he was senior to Kalonzo.

"The Accord is very clear that Kibaki and I are the principal partners in the Grand Coalition Government. The Vice-President is only Kibaki’s principal assistant," Raila said.

Raila added: "My duties are to coordinate and supervise Government functions while the President remains the Head of State. I should not get equal treatment with the Vice-President."

The PM, who is also the Lang’ata MP, tore into Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, saying as a civil servant he should not play politics.

"It is clear that Muthaura is a Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President and he speaks for his boss (Kibaki) in PNU.

Coming to terms

"Those in PNU are yet to come to terms with the reality that ODM is an equal partner in Government," Raila said.

ODM was last month pushing for a review of the National Accord, claiming the 50:50 power-sharing agreement had not been honoured by PNU.

The PM has for the last year received salary and allowances equivalent to a Cabinet minister’s.

Raila spoke a day after Mr Muthaura stated in a public forum that the Prime Minister should get the same salary, allowances and retirement package as the Vice-President pending recommendations by a tribunal on MPs’ remuneration.

Muthaura said there was a contradiction between the National Accord and the Constitution and that a new constitution should clearly state the functions of the Prime Minister.

He said the Akilano Akiwumi tribunal on MPs salaries and allowances should clearly define what the PM would be paid.

Raila said ODM had not been consulted in the appointment of diplomats, creation of new districts and sacking and promotion of some senior Government officials, among others.

On the Geneva talks, Raila said: "As Kibaki and I are leading one Government, I did not want to go to Geneva alone and we decided as a party (ODM) that I should opt out of the meeting."

The Prime Minister said no minister had been barred from travelling to Geneva for the talks that ended yesterday.

Cabinet ministers William Ruto (ODM), Sam Ongeri (PNU) and Mutula Kilonzo (ODM-K) are the Serena negotiators who opted not to travel to Geneva.

Travel clearance

"I gave clearance to Ruto like all the other ODM members to travel, but he had other engagements. As for Ongeri, he was also cleared by Kibaki," Raila added.

The only Serena negotiators who did not travel to Geneva are Cabinet Ministers Ruto, Ongeri and Mutula Kilonzo.

But Serena participants Musalia Mudavadi, Martha Karua, Moses Wetangula, James Orengo and Sally Kosgei attended the talks as did Attorney-General Amos Wako.

A circular from Muthaura on their responsibilities after the signing of the accord did not state clearly who, between the Prime Minister and the Vice-President, was senior.

The problem was mostly vissible whenever the two attended the same function as the last to be invited looked senior.

Lately, where the President, Prime Minister and the VP attend the same function, the latter acts as the master of ceremony and invites the President after the Prime Minister talks.

 

 

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