Raila faults MPs for ignoring SRC in push for fat perks

The Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti and the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi at the anti-corruption conference at Bomas of Kenya, yesterday. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has criticised MPs for their appetite for fat perks barely minutes after National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi defended them.

Speaking during the National Anti-corruption Conference in Bomas, Nairobi, yesterday, Raila took on Mr Muturi who had blamed the media for misrepresenting MPs on the perksdebate.

“Mr Speaker is being economical with facts. Didn’t they (MPs) say they don’t want to recognise the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), saying Parliament as an independent institution has the right to set salaries the way they like?” Raila posed.

He said Parliament gets two per cent of the total revenue and only employs 1,000 people yet the Judiciary employs about 7,000 people and gets 0.5 per cent. This is Sh35 billion against Sh15 billion of the national allocation.

“And they are saying, they are not adding themselves money. They are adding themselves money for sitting allowance,” he said.

Muturi, who also chairs the Parliamentary Service Commission, committed to ensure that the MPs remuneration is strictly set by SRC.

“It is not possible and won’t be possible under my watch for MPs to introduce legislative proposals to increase their salaries. This function exclusively belongs to the SRC,” he said.

He added: “The Bill before the House has no reference to any proposal to increase the salaries. I will decline to approve any legislation to increase salaries. I have the power to reject upfront.”

The Bill has caused public uproar especially after High Court judge George Odunga quashed SRC’s gazette notice slashing the MPs pay.

The MPs have argued that the proposed legislation is meant to align operations of the bicameral House and introduce performance contracting for staff.

They also want exclusive rights to set their salaries.

Probe graft cases

Raila didn’t not spare the county governments, especially the Members of the County Assemblies and governors, faultingthem for spending 70 per cent of their budget on recurrent expenditure.

“The money is for sitting allowances, resulting in regular fights over committees placement. Others lobby for overseas trips, bench-marking and bonding,” he said.

Earlier, Chief Justice David Maraga complained over inadequate resources, noting that the Judiciary received Sh14 billion against a budget request of Sh35 billion.

The Speaker also committed to invite relevant investigative agencies to Parliament to probe graft cases that dogged the 11th Parliament and the current House. He was, however, categorical that his role to oversight MPs as per the Public Officers Ethic Act ends in the plenary and that he has no authority over what happens outside the precincts of Parliament.

During the conference, Speakers Muturi and Ken Lusaka (Senate) were taken to task to explain how they plan to address corruption, MPs’ appetite for more perks, duplication of roles and sibling rivalry.

Muturi also touched on run-away corruption in Parliament, especially during the recent controversial probe on contraband sugar.

“The war on graft is from all levels. Claims of parliamentary oversight committees receiving bribes to water down reports have been advanced. I am committed to swiftly report such matters to the appropriate agencies that have capacity to deal with the issues,” said the Speaker, who is the chair of the Powers and Privileges Committees.

Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) Bishop David Oginde, who was moderating one of the sessions, raised concerns over numerous harambees attended by MPs against the law. Lusaka addressed concerns over duplication of roles by the two Houses.

“In a bicameral nature, this is not unique. It helps to counter check each other. The two Houses cannot be compromised. The Standing Orders also allow the same,” he said.

He pitched for the Office of the Auditor General to be properly resourced to fast track the release of county government audit reports and to build capacity of MCAs to interrogate audit reports.