Rotich blocks MPs plan to increase their salaries, reduce Judiciary’s

Treasury Cs Henry Rotich during the launch of 2019-2022 Economic Survey at KICC. [Beverlyne Musili/Standard]

Judiciary's budget would have been cut by Sh1.2 billion had MPs’ scheme sailed through, Kenyans would have paid extra Sh8 billion by 2022.

Treasury has blocked another scheme by MPs to increase their salaries by Sh2 billion annually, saying their performance does not warrant them a pay rise.

Had the MPs' scheme sailed through, the Judiciary would have been allocated Sh14.19 billion for recurrent expenditure in financial year 2019/20, which is Sh1.2 billion less than the Sh15.4 billion that Treasury has allocated them.

Higher perks

Revelations that MPs have been pushing for higher perks come just a few days after workers who camped at Uhuru Park for the better part of Labour Day went back home dejected after the government refused to raise the minimum wage.

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, however, stopped MPs on their tracks, telling them their performance - unlike that of the Judiciary - did not warrant such an increment.

Lawmakers had recommended that allocation for Parliament’s and Judiciary’s recurrent expenditure be increased annually by 7.5 per cent, in line with economic growth.

This would have seen senators, MPs and other parliamentary staff given Sh31.8 billion on wages and other administrative costs in the next financial calendar.

However, Rotich instead allocated National Assembly and the Parliamentary Service Commission Sh30.1 billion, dealing a blow to legislators’ agitation for hefty perks.

Had the proposal for more pay been implemented, taxpayers would have forked out at least Sh8 billion more for MPs' salaries and allowances by June 2022.

More court staff

Allocation for legislators' recurrent expenditure increased by a marginal 2.9 per cent from Sh10.8 billion.

Judiciary’s budget on recurrent expenditure has, however, increased by 16 per cent from Sh13.25 billion in the financial year ending June to Sh15.4 billion in the upcoming financial year.

Whereas Judiciary has been increasing its footprint around the country by setting up courts that will need to be staffed, the same cannot be said of Parliament, thus Treasury's decision to deny them the increment.