READ THIS... Sarah Serem, MPs unite against clamour for more perks by Senate and MCAs The clamour for bigger salaries, posh offices and top-of-the-range cars by senators and Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) is headed for a dead end following stiff opposition from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the National Assembly. SRC chairperson Sarah Serem appeared to rule out any salary increments for senators and MCAs, saying the economy cannot sustain them. “The economic situation in our country is known to all of us. As leaders, I am sure the MCAs are concerned with the economic growth of this country and that they will make their requests in light of this,” she said. “Any leader or group demanding a wage increase should start their journey from the country’s revenue data,” she said. The SRC is the only body legally mandated to implement such demands by MCAs and senators. Mrs Serem spoke as it emerged that a document containing proposals to increase the salaries and allowances paid to senators had been secretly withdrawn from the agenda of last Thursday’s Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) meeting. The document was to be discussed by the PSC before being formally presented to the SRC for consideration. National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, who chairs the PSC, told the Sunday Nation the document was not on the agenda of the Thursday meeting. “It is not that it was removed; it was never on the agenda in the first place,” he said. SHOT DOWN It emerged that the proponents of the huge increments had sensed that the proposals would be shot down at the meeting and opted not to table them. This was after the Jubilee Alliance directed its MPs to shoot down the proposals or risk being removed from the powerful commission. “We have instructed our members in PSC to reject it if it ever comes up for discussion. Our position is that Parliament must lead from the front in efforts to contain the spiralling wage bill. We cannot put a ceiling on MCAs’ expenditure while at the same time we are pushing for more money for ourselves. It is unacceptable. I’m happy the proposal was removed from the agenda of the PSC meeting last Thursday. It was removed because its owners disowned it,” said National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale. The document proposed that each pocket Sh780,000 as “personnel emoluments” while those representing counties with more than four constituencies earn 10 per cent more for each of the constituencies. They were also to receive Sh2.4 million for office tables and chairs at the beginning of every term, Sh420,000 each month for “office consumables and office operations” and Sh500,000 “county allowance” for the 47 elected senators. They also proposed a Sh168,000 monthly allocation to enable the senators from Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu counties to rent offices in those towns. Other senators were to get Sh140,000 for office rent in their respective counties. The County Assemblies Forum (CAF), on the other hand, is pushing for car grants and offices for all the 2,100 ward representatives. Deputy President William Ruto is on record committing the government to providing offices for the MCAs. At a projected cost of Sh3 million per office, the government would need Sh6.3 billion to build offices for all of them. The ward reps also want at least three staff each and car grants of up to Sh2 million. This would cost the taxpayer Sh4.2 billion. The CAF is seeking a meeting with the SRC for later this week to table their demands. TAKEN ADVANTAGE The ward representatives have taken advantage of the calls for referendum by Cord and governors to arm-twist the government into giving in to their demands. MCAs are critical to the process since Cord and the Council of Governors will need at least 24 county assemblies to pass their petitions. On Saturday, Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi said the national government was not offering goodies to ward representatives to win their support against the referendum push. He said the deal is only aimed at empowering the county leaders to ensure they are able to carry out their functions easily and effectively. “I wonder where the theory of ‘buying’ MCAs came from. The Jubilee Government respects the separation of powers for all institutions, and county assemblies are not an exemption. The deal is just meant to empower the MCAs who are key custodians of devolution. With the cars and officers, they will be able to play their role easily just like other elected leaders,” he said. Ziwani Ward representative Millicent Mugadi on Saturday said their demands have been misrepresented by the media. “You have an MCA travelling, say, 200km from the ward to the county assembly, so we need a vehicle. Again, when the people you represent want to meet you they have to come to your house due to lack of an office,” said Ms Mugadi. OLD DOCUMENT On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki became the first senator to disown the proposal for higher pay. “I am not aware of such a task force or such a report; if such a report or taskforce exists, I am not a member, I have not participated, and I would not agree to any proposals to spend more public money to pay salaries and allowances to elected leaders, let alone myself,” he said. “Agitating for a pay rise when I have voluntarily taken a pay cut is not only absurd but also negates the ideals for which I stand.” He said the proposal was based on an old draft document the SRC had rejected. Senate Deputy Speaker Kembi Gitura, who chaired the task force that drafted the proposals for higher pay, maintained senators deserve better pay. “Some counties have more than five constituencies. The workload for senators is enormous and what we are asking for is fair. We have always been in discussion with the SRC. All we are asking is to be given resources so that our presence at the county level can be felt. We should have our offices there, well equipped with enough staff to ensure devolution is protected,” he said. Mr Gitura said some of the proposals were a one-off and would not adversely impact on the overall wage bill. “Such request as setting up offices is a one-off affair after five years,” he said. But Senate Majority Whip Beatrice Elachi maintained that the proposals had been rejected by the SRC and wondered where they were emanating from. “These were proposals that were prepared a long time ago, and SRC rejected them. We do not know why they are coming up now,” she said. Cotu secretary-general Francis Atwoli warned politicians against rushing to increase their salaries, saying that in three years’ time, the government may be unable to sustain such huge salaries. “Our economy cannot sustain such huge pay for several levels of governance that we have… we must address this issue with urgency,” said the Cotu boss.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 06:51:32 +0000
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