High Court asks Sarah Serem's SRC to keep off MPs salaries, for now

Elected Members of Parliament (MPs) has taken to court to file a petition against the planned slashing of their salaries. The lawmakers through the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) filed an application on December 15 in attempt to stop the motion on effecting their salaries.

Following this move, The High Court has asked Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) led by its chair Sarah Serem to put a hold on plans to review the salaries.

According to The Star, PSC in it argument presented that SRC was interfering with how the Members of Parliament operate and their constitutional decree to provide services effectively.

The commission further said that the plan by SRC to lower their salaries is uncalled for and unreasonable owing to the high cost of living.

The PSC petition will be debated upon and the case has been shelved for January 29 when it will be presented before Justice George Odunga.

SCR had earlier recommended that the MPs salaries be slashed from Sh710, 000 to Sh620, 000.

The petition is likely to collide with President Uhuru Kenyatta who earlier supported the motion introduced by the SRC in August.

“It is shameful that these people have not realized issues that made Kenyans angry. There cannot be a class of citizens who believe that they are servants more than the rest,” President Uhuru said.

The debate on whether to slash MP’s salaries has been heard over and over with the lawmakers claiming they need the big salaries in order to run the tasks allocated to them and citizens accusing them of embezzling funds.