Speaker asks MPs to pay tax

• Marende urges them to emulate three colleagues who have embraced the proposal

Pressure for MPs to have their hefty allowances taxed went a notch higher on Monday, with the National Assembly Speaker asking them to hear the cries of Kenyans.

As Mr Kenneth Marende was speaking, it emerged that three MPs had written to Parliament asking that their perks be taxed.

They are Mr Johnstone Muthama (Kangundo), Mr Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragwa) and Tetu’s Francis Nyammo.

Mr Marende, who is a former Emuhaya MP, asked other lawmakers to follow suit, describing the move by the three as “a philanthropic gesture”.

Mr Muthama wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly Patrick Gichohi last week so that his Sh600,000 allowances could be taxed every month.

Thorny issue

Parliament resumes this morning after a 10-day break, with the first agenda being the refusal by MPs to be taxed.

A meeting will be held this morning to deal with the thorny issue before acting Finance minister John Michuki moves the Finance Bill in the afternoon.

MPs frustrated the Bill just before they went for the break, and today’s meeting seeks to win them over.

The Bill contains the controversial clause to tax their perks, which they have opposed strongly.

In his letter, Mr Kioni said: “This is to authorise you to tax my monthly salary/allowances. This has been my personal conviction even before I was elected to Parliament, and ever since no enough or plausible reasons that have been deduced from any quarters to make me think otherwise.”

The Speaker said the laws would have to be changed first before taxing perks of all the 222 MPs, who include all 40 Cabinet ministers, President Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Fielding questions from the media after meeting a six-man delegation of MPs from the House of Lords and the House of Commons, led by Mr Nigel Evans, the Speaker said: “If an MP wants to make an extra contribution, apart from the Sh200,000 taxable salary, because they feel philanthropic, they are free to do so and I urge the others to follow suit.”

Mr Marende described the decision by the Kangundo MP as voluntary.

Earlier, the VP said he would take up the matter and challenge MPs to reconsider their hard stance and lead by examples in paying taxes like their electorate.

Said Mr Kalonzo: “This is indeed a matter of concern to many Kenyans, and I will take it as a challenge to urge MPs to get their allowances taxed.”

On his part, the PM, who had also met the MPs from the United Kingdom separately, said he understood the financial pressure lawmakers were under after being sworn-in and taking mortgages and other loans, but he supported calls that they must pay taxes like other Kenyans.

The delegation of six members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association - UK said they were in the country on a one-week mission to assess how Parliament and the country were dealing with the post-elections crisis.

Mr Evans said they were keen to learn how the Government and Parliament will implement the controversial Waki report on the poll chaos and the Kriegler report on the flaws in the electoral system.

Promote reforms

“I believe that Kenyan MPs must work to promote and strengthen democracy and promote reforms as per the wishes of the public,” Mr Evans said.

The visiting MP said they were touched on Sunday during a tour of a camp for the internally displaced persons in Naivasha to come face to face with the impact of the chaos.

Mr Evans said they were looking forward to meeting MPs and top Government officials to get more information about developments since the December polls.

“We are here to promote dialogue between our Parliament and your Parliament. We are also here to see how you are promoting reforms in Parliament and in the Constitution,” the British MP said.

The Speaker welcomed the delegation, saying Kenyan MPs hoped to learn the best practices from their British counterparts in order to discharge their duties in and out of Parliament.