Assembly to use Sh 440 million on MP's pay allowances

Kiambu County ward reps have approved the Sh16.5 billion supplementary budget that includes allocations listed as State hospitality and MPs’ salaries.

The budget unanimously approved on Wednesday indicates that the County Assembly Service Board will spend Sh250 million on the basic salaries of MPs and another Sh74 million on the National Assembly attendance allowances.

The vote heads are itemised under the revised recurrent expenditure estimates for 2018/19 financial year for the County Assembly Service board in the supplementary budget.

State hospitality

Also listed is State hospitality cost of Sh4 million, Sh500,000 contribution to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and another Sh500,000 contribution to African Parliamentary Association.

In addition, a vote-head of Sh4 million contribution of the Assembly to other parliamentary associations in also listed.

Another Sh116 million is itemised under the Office of the County Assembly Clerk as being basic salaries for MPs. Also listed in the same category is Sh2.5 million for the purchase of police security equipment.

Majority leader Antony Ikonya exonerated the Assembly from blame, saying the anomaly was occasioned by wrong templates.

In the Supplementary budget tabled in the Assembly, the county has increased recurrent expenditure by Sh1.5 billion from Sh9.5 billion to Sh11.1 billion representing an increase of 15 per cent.

The bulk of the increase will include an upward salary adjustment of Sh772 million for the support of the County’s controversial alcohol addicts’ rehabilitation programme popularly known as “Kaa Sober (stay sober)”.

In February, Governor Ferdinand Waititu announced the end of the Kaa Sober in a ceremony held at Ndumberi Stadium.

The more than 5,000 recovering alcoholics were each given Sh20,000, which Mr Waititu said was meant to help them start small businesses.

Raise salaries

A further Sh96 million will be used to raise salaries for enforcement officers and another Sh540 million to pay casual workers.

The county is projecting to receive Sh12.8 billion from the national government and collect Sh2.7 from own source of revenue.

Ikinu Ward Rep Stanley Wanjiku opposed the supplementary budget saying it contained glaring irregularities.

The supplementary budget anomalies came hot on heels of a similar incident early this month when Mr Waititu indicated that the county spent Sh793 million on Free Primary Education and Sh973.9 million on State House functions.