18 lawmakers oppose mileage claims

Outgoing Salaries and Remuneration Commission Chair Sarah Serem with the Deputy president William Ruto. [Photo by David Gichuru/Standard]

A number of legislators have expressed concern about hefty payments and siphoning of taxpayers’ money through mileage claims.

At least 18 MPs from the 11th Parliament raised complaints with Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) against their colleagues and the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) for excessive allowances and skewed claims.

“Currently we are spending Sh150 million per month on mileage, which comes to Sh1.802 billion in total per year. How does the commission verify that a member has actually travelled for 52 weeks in a year even when Parliament is in session?" queried the MPs.

"This is illegal and fraudulent, and raises a question on the integrity of the Members of Parliament under Chapter Six of the Constitution,” read a letter annexed in the court file.

The SRC and former Makadara MP Benson Mutura, who is an interested party in the case, attached the letters and PSC's salary recommendations to their applications as proof in a case already before High Court judge George Odunga.

Salary cut

The case had been filed by MPs contesting a salary cut by SRC.

The proposal was to have MPs from far-flung areas take flights, limited to four trips a month. This would save the taxpayer Sh1.05 billion.

The letter in court revealed that some of the legislators go home with an extra Sh3 million in non-taxable income.

“This is morally wrong and unacceptable. This makes our parliamentarians the highest paid employees in the world. They are also paid more than the presidents of Kenya and the US,” read the letter written by Mr Mutura.

The letter was signed Alice Wahome (Kandara), George Theuri (Embakasi West), Joash Olum (Langata), John Chege (Kasarani), John Ogutu (Embakasi East), Francis Waititu (Juja), John Chege (Limuru), Robert Mbui (Kathiani), Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes), John Kihagi (Naivasha), Isaac Mwaura (nominated), Joseph Kiona (Njoro) Humphrey Njuguna (Gatanga) and Victor Munyaka (Machakos).

The salaries commission had set mileage claims, which were opposed by PSC, who instead demanded that SRC should scrap the mileage allowance and promised that each lawmaker would get a car that would be retained by Parliament.