Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba has accused the Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi of pre-empting debate on his motion that seeks to slash the salary of top public earners by 50 percent.
Namwamba protested that Muturi's sentiments, appearing to be against the motion, was tantamount to him passing a verdict on the same outside the House, which he claims is wrong.
The MP said as the Speaker and the ultimate arbiter in house debates, Muturi is not supposed to appear as leaning towards any side of what is before the House, and more especially on a matter that is yet to be introduced in the House.
"When Mr Speaker purports to pre-empt debate, to prematurely and casually pass a verdict either way outside the House, he shames the dignity of his office, compromises the authority of the House and defiles the sanctity of legislation," said Namwamba.
But in a quick rejoinder, the office of the Speaker dismissed the allegations by Namwamba, insisting that the House leader only commented on the general debate in the public on the ballooning wage bill and its sustainability, considered alongside the economic status of the country.
"The Speaker only reiterated that it was the mandate of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to review and set salaries of state offices and advises on the salaries and allowances of public officers," stated the Speaker's Communications Officer Paul Mugambi.
The Speaker's office said it was upon MPs to debate Namwamba's motion, which had been approved by the Speaker, and make decision.
In his statement sent from New York, where he is attending the United Nation's General Assembly, Namwamba, who is also the chairman of Accountability Kenya – a lobby group consisting of legislators – hit at those calling the motion a populist move.
"Populist or not, this is a just, moral and timely mission," he said.
He added: "The ultimate aim of my motion is to trigger a comprehensive review and harmonization of Kenya's grotesquely imbalanced and inequitable public wage structure, which is unsustainably burdensome and defined by morally reprehensible disparities between top earners and those condemned to scavenge at the bottom of the pyramid,".
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