Talks hitch as poll team exit plan drags on

 

Payment of full salaries until November 2017 and a 31 per cent gratuity for the five years worked is an offer on the table for each of the nine electoral commissioners.

This emerged even as the exit talks for the electoral commissioners slowed down after inter-agency negotiations scheduled for Thursday was cancelled.

The meeting has been rescheduled to today at 10am at the request of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission bosses.

The Issack Hassan-led team said they requested for the postponement so that they could ratify an annual report which has a September 30 deadline.

This came even as it emerged that the two sides on Wednesday disagreed on transport allowance for the embattled commissioners.

And Mr Hassan Thursday morning chaired a meeting with all the commissioners to discuss the Government's offer.

According to a highly-placed source, who attended the first sittings of the discussion held at Harambee House, the Government and the commissioners settled on a 31 per cent gratuity for the five years the nine commissioners have been in office.

The Government also offered to pay them their full salaries until November 2017, their official retirement date.

They will also benefit from a medical cover for the next one year.

According to the 2015-2016 budget, the National Treasury pays Sh82 million in salaries and Sh50.8 million in allowances for the nine IEBC commissioners every year. In terms of gratuity, it means that the nine, each earning Sh1.2 million per month, will get Sh372,000 for the five years served. This translates to Sh1.86 million per person and Sh16.7 million for the team.

This brings their cumulative exit figure at Sh210 million.