By Standard Team

Just a day after awarding themselves hefty pay increases, Members of Parliament are already up in arms against each other over the amount of sitting allowances.

Some MPs demanded that the sitting allowances of Parliamentary Service Commissioners (PSC) be reduced and be set at Sh10,000, at par with what other MPs will earn.

Sources at the Speaker’s Kamukunji, chaired by House Speaker Kenneth Marende told The Standard MPs were unhappy the commissioners increased their sitting allowances to Sh20,000, contrary to recommendations in the Akiwumi report.

The MPs demanded that the allowances be harmonised because they are all members of the same House.

"It seems PSC members doctored the report and increased their allowances, contrary to the original report that all members be awarded a uniform) Sh10,000 sitting allowance," added an MP who attended the meeting but preferred anonymity.

The PSC, headed by the House Speaker, recommended that Commissioners receive Sh20,000 as sitting allowance, while the Vice Chairman gets Sh25,000 and the Speaker Sh30,000.

The Akiwumi report proposes that an MP should earn a total of Sh1.1 million, up from the current Sh851,000.

PSC, which is the administrative organ of Parliament and runs the operations of the House has membership drawn from both ODM and PNU.

Apart from Marende, other PSC members include, Kitutu Walter Nyambati (Vice Chairman), Zakayo Cheruiyot, Chris Okemo, Olago Aluoch , Jamleck Kamau and Peter Mwathi.

Technical appearances

The sources also told The Standard that the issue of lack of quorum in both the committee and the House dominated discussions at the meeting.

The meeting was told that some members only make technical appearances in the committees and the House.

The MPs said some members suggested that a clocking device be introduced to show the duration a member attends committee meetings and House sittings.

"It was suggested that a member who only makes a technical appearance should not be entitled to the sitting allowance," said the sources.

Despite the outrage expressed by many Kenyans, MPs hailed the move to increase their perks, but the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) termed the decision "insensitive".

NCCK Secretary General Peter Karanja said MPs were out of touch with reality, because the increased allowances will certainly overburden Kenyans.

"It is a sad day for ordinary Kenyans as they continue to bear the burden of pampering their leaders. The increases are not sustainable under our current economic status," said Karanja.

He also termed as "suspect" the timing of the increment and cautioned that it was meant to hoodwink NCCK members to support the proposed constitution.

"This is a sugar coated move to make MPs happy at the expense of the heavily taxed Kenyans," said Karanja

Kenya Alliance of Residents Association Chief Executive Stephen Mutoro said Kenyans should reject the increase.

Mutoro asked Kenyans to vote out the current crop of MPs come the general election due to their insensitivity.

The civil society groups announced plans for mass action against the MPs’ move to increase their perks.

Led by Priscilla Nyokabi and Kawive Wambua, the groups termed the increments unacceptable and petitioned President Kibaki and Prime Minister to disown it.

"Besides the two leaders standing by the majority Kenyans shocked and opposed to the increment, the Finance Minister should not accept to sanction the payments," said Nyokabi.

Addressing a conference in Nairobi yesterday the officials said it would be morally wrong for Uhuru to pay the backdated increments, when Kenyans were struggling to earn a living.

And a human rights organisation has called on the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission (KACC) to investigate the move by MPs to hike their salaries.

Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) has condemned the decision, and asked KACC to probe the move arguing that the MPs have abused their offices.

Muhuri Executive Director Khalid Hussein has said the move was informed by greed and desire to fleece taxpayers from their hard-earned and meagre resources.

Former MP Paul Muite differed with those criticising the move, and instead blamed the Kenyan electorate for electing a wanting "political leadership".

Muite also blamed voters for pushing the MPs too much through demands for cash handouts to appoint of always thinking of getting more money to meet the demands.

Moneyed politicians

"Kenyans are to blame for the increment. All MPs find themselves under siege from their constituents, who want cash handouts all the time they see their MP. We should be ready to see them paid more to meet the electorate’s financial demands from their leaders", said Muite.

He said unless Kenyans stopped identifying with moneyed politicians, and went for leaders capable of meeting their leadership expectations, the country would continue to suffer from even more increments whenever an opportunity arose.

The East African Law Society also said it was appalled with the increment as recommended by Akiwumi. The EALS, through Secretary James Mwamu said MPs were not entirely to blame, noting that they were offered an opportunity too sweet to reject.

He, however, expressed fears that the salaries would cripple the country’s economy, wondering where the money would come from to meet similar pay for the higher number of MPs proposed in the new constitution.

The head of ACK Maseno South diocese, Mwai Abiero, questioned the criteria the tribunal, led by former Court of Appeal Judge Akilano Akiwumi, used to propose the pay increment for MPs.

He added that the recommendations do not reflect views of ordinary people.

But MPs said the move to increase their earnings would restore their honour and dignity, since many spent their salary on their constituents.

MPs have refused to pay taxes on the hefty allowances they get and are only taxed on basic pay.

There was public outcry, when the Ninth Parliament, which preceded the current one, awarded MPs a hefty salary increase. The MPs later in September 2007, hurriedly passed a clause giving themselves Sh300,000 farewell packages for every year worked, back dated to January 9, 2003 when they took oath of office.

Reports by Martin Mutua, Mutinda Mwanzia, Beauttah Omanga, Linah Benyawa and Peter Atsiaya