How unfortunate that Members of the 11th Parliament have announced their arrival in town in a style that only stokes public resentment.
For the newly elected lawmakers to demand a salary increment even before they settle down is a shocking display of eccentric greed.
It demonstrates utter contempt for their employers, the electorate, and majority of who are struggling to get by.
The last acts by members of the Tenth Parliament included shamelessly sticking their fingers in the public coffers.
That set up the outgoing members against the public and no wonder more than 200 of the 349 members of the National Assembly are serving a first term.
Thus, it is incomprehensible that the new House would contemptuously pick from where their disgraced predecessors had left. Worse, among the first order of business for the new House is, not agenda in the public interest, but a petition attempting the removal of members of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
It was public knowledge that the Sh850,000 salary would be slashed as the politicians campaigned for their seats.
It is therefore dishonest for anyone to claim they cannot accept the Sh532,000, instead wrongly demonstrating entitlement to the previous hefty pay.
President Uhuru Kenyatta told Parliament the wage bill is unsustainable. In the current financial year, the total is estimated at Sh458 billion, almost half of the revenue collected by Government.
As the President rightly exhorted, all arms of Government should support efforts to address the ballooning wage bill. Focus should be on reducing the cost of living.
