By Billow Kerrow
NAIROBI,KENYA: Last week’s protest by civil society groups at Parliament buildings was the climax of the protracted wrangling over remuneration between the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the MPs.
The recent attempt by the MPs to oust the commission was an over-reaction and disproportionate. The commission’s response was swift; it issued a statement that it will not be intimidated, and that it will not budge over the matter.
And the row between the employer and employee goes on. The ‘M-Pigs’ demonstration by civil society that likened the MPs to pigs was equally in very bad taste. However much as we disagree over the matter, it would be utterly irresponsible and callous to equate the leaders to pigs and dogs because of their persistent calls for higher salaries.
Such ridicule and indignity is undeserved despite the disagreement with their action. It demeans the leadership and portrays lack of respect for the institution of Parliament. Clearly, the citizens have a right to express their disapproval through protests but with decorum, such as through a petition to Parliament and public rallies.
They also have a right to reject such leaders through the ballot. The irony of this row is that the 9th Parliament was accused of ‘greed’ and vilified vehemently by the public.
The 10th Parliament was equally labeled ‘thieves’ and insulted. And now, the 11th Parliament is facing the same ridicule. Yet, in each election, nearly 70 per cent of the MPs were rejected. Are Kenyans electing the wrong people always, or is it a case of lack of objectivity over the matter on the part of the public? The growing public wage bill has been cited by the salaries commission as the main reason behind reducing the MPs’ pay by 60 per cent. Public expenditure has risen ten-fold over the past decade, from Sh260 billion in 2002/3 to shs 1.1trillion in 2012/3, outstripping the growth of revenue. Next year, public expenditure is estimated to rise to Sh1.6 trillion, with the wage bill accounting for a third of that amount.
True, the public sector puts more money into a huge wage bill because public service is labour-intensive. For instance, public service delivery in the legislature, judiciary, teachers, security and health is largely through people. Presently, most of these sectors are understaffed, affecting service delivery adversely. We urgently need more teachers, nurses and police officers. The public wage bill will obviously rise if we employ these people. To address the rising wage bill, we need to look beyond reducing the wage costs.We need to grow our economy fast so that our wage bill relative to the GDP can be sustained. This requires that the government remains committed to its policy intentions in its budget plans. Wastage and inefficiencies, spending on unproductive costs and pilferage needs to be addressed.
The MPs’ pay reduction by the commission amounts to just over Sh1.3 billion annually, representing 0.2 per cent of the wage bill, and 0.08 per cent of the public expenditure for the next financial year.
It is a case of being penny wise and pound foolish to focus our collective energy on the MPs while ignoring the opportunity cost of demotivation of this vital institution. But it is not just the MPs. The County Assembly members, a critical component in the success of devolution, is poorly remunerated.
Yet, at Sh79,000 per month, their pay is equivalent to that of the Governor’s personal assistant or his secretary. Can they be expected to oversee the Governor’s excesses at that pay?
