Public interest should supersede legislators’ thirst for high salaries

A dangerous trend is cropping up – that of MPs always looking for opportunities to raise or secure their fat perks. The 12th Parliament has not disappointed on this front. Rogue MPs have declared war on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which recently scrapped their car grants and other allowances.

The car grant was among the burdensome allowances the Sarah Serem-led commission did away with as it reduced salaries of MPs and other top State officers to save the taxpayer Sh8 billion annually and to trim the runaway wage bill.

The matter is in court. And this week, the legislators threw moral leadership to the dogs when bribes and vested interests took centre-stage during the formation of House departmental committees. The election of representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) was also not without scheming and nasty intrigues.

In the past, there have been cases of MPs making false mileage claims and engaging in needless foreign trips when each got a Sh50,000 daily out-of-pocket allowance. There have also been cases where House committees hold as many as three sittings a day so members can get big allowances yet no substantive issues are discussed.

The current Parliament seems to have started on a wrong footing. With selfish interests at play, seasoned MPs and their new colleagues have given Kenyans a taste of how their time in the August House will be spent.

When Kenyans went to the polls on August 8, many had hoped their votes would usher in a new crop of leaders sensitive to the needs of the republic. But from the foregoing, the electorate’s loss of hope is fast becoming understandable.

We challenge MPs to stay true to their oath of office. Parliament and indeed other arms of government must symbolise our democracy by being beyond reproach. Leadership failure of this magnitude will only kill the Kenyan dream.

President Kenyatta and Opposition chief Raila Odinga who lead Jubilee and NASA, the main formations in the House, should call their MPs to order. The main focus should be to serve, and not to eat. Public interest should supersede personal agenda.