MPs should respect the law, constitutional offices

By Nyandoro Kambi

The recent move by MPs to clandestinely award themselves a hefty send off pack of a whooping two billion shillings is invariably manifest of the ingenious attitude by a crop of leaders; politicians and non politicians alike towards the Constitution in general and in particular the commissions it establishes.

Salaries and Remuneration Commission is the latest casualty of the sustained onslaught by these devious lots. Despite the abundant clarity underlining the Constitution’s and other legislative provisions on the role of this commission, a section of our population is bent on wincing at it like a poetry of hollow shibboleth; empty of a dime of relevance. It compares with a proverbial visitor in Jerusalem. The just concluded pay deal between government, teachers and lecturers speaks it all. It is a wasted opportunity by the parties to set the ball rolling for recognition of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s mandate.

The negotiations were done fairly well, the aggrieved workers got their heart wishes granted and resumed their chores yet the question lingering to date: was this commission involved and how. Perhaps, as a reminder, the 20-year-long labour pains experienced by our nation before it eventually succeeded in midwifing a new Constitution was driven in part by the desire for equal distribution of resources and of treatment of the citizens. It is common knowledge that for long public servants have been treated differently and discriminately with a majority carrying home desolate pay like sons and daughters of lesser gods compared to their minority counterparts who, despite being in the same job groups, received better remuneration scale.

Consequently, creation of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission was deemed key to iron out these historical inequalities and harmonise the incomes of all wage earners.

Taken to roof tops

However, in light of the excruciating experiences the country is going through one is tempted to take to the roof tops and recite loudly the hymn sheets of this commission’s duty.

Truth be told; pensive mood about the next general election is setting in apace apparently threatening to diminish the viability for re-election of some members of the august house as a result they are hasty to tuck away as much money as they can in readiness for the grueling tussle for ballots.

The send-off package is their newfound approach. This comes barely a month in the wake of government’s promise to seek for funds to settle its arrears with teachers and lecturers which has been outstanding for close to two decades.

The Government’s side of the bargain is in a tune of billions; a painstaking venture it must fulfill considering that the public purse is ebbing to its bottoms. The Exchequer has already sounded alarm. It is intending to devise new strategies that would see the taxpayer dig deeper into their pockets to enable government honour its obligation.

Unfortunately that is not all. Medics are still unhappy lots. The impasse has reduced the public health care system into apathy where despair reigns.

Patients lie around unattended to because of strike by health providers.

Of course the current reality is nothing new to us Kenyans.

The Constitution has been the punching bag of caprice and greed since Day One of its inception.

The writer is a lawyer, [email protected]