Ministers reap huge travel perks

• Benefits, pegged on UN rates, a result of high living costs, says PS

Cabinet ministers, assistant ministers and permanent secretaries are the biggest beneficiaries in the latest increase in allowances for local and foreign trips.

The new rates of allowances which will affect more than 600,000 civil servants and teachers, have been pegged at lucrative levels enjoyed by United Nations employees.

A circular from the Ministry of Public Service dated November 12 and signed by PS Titus Ndambuki says the new rates are the outcome of a rise in the cost of living.

A copy of the circular obtained by the Nation, states: “In order to ensure that they are not disadvantaged on conversion of the Kenya shilling to foreign currencies, the allowance will continue to be pegged to the US dollar.”

The new rates are designed to meet the cost of accommodation in reasonable hotels and also cater for meals, service charges and incidental costs while on official duty, said the circular.

The allowances are rated differently in each country, with Iraq, Japan, Singapore, parts of Eastern Europe, Dubai and Kuwait attracting between Sh52,500 ($700) to more than Sh75,000 ($1,000) a day.

Accommodation allowances for domestic tour of duty has been increased for the top brass to a maximum of between Sh13,000 and Sh7,500 a night, depending on the cluster of towns visited.

Towns visited

Junior civil servants in Job Group A to D will receive a maximum of between Sh3,000 and Sh1,500, also pegged to the towns visited.

Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu and Kwale are in the top tier of towns attracting the highest amount of Sh13,000 and Sh3,000 for senior and junior staff respectively, while Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Kakamega, Embu, Nanyuki and Garissa take the second prime position of Sh9,000 and Sh 2,500. For all other towns, workers will claim Sh7,500 and Sh1,500.

Meal allowances will only be paid to officers travelling on duty within the country, but who are not required to spend a night away from their stations of work.

The secretary-general of the Union of Kenya Civil Servants, Mr Tom Odege, praised the increase in allowances, saying that the welfare of workers was being considered, but expressed concern at the wide gaps between the top and low ranks.

He termed the move a scheme by top civil servants and ministers to enrich themselves through foreign trips.

Security

“Look at the countries attracting huge conversion rates like Dubai, Singapore, Japan, Israel and Eastern Europe or even Germany and England.

Apart from Iraq or Lebanon which are security risks and nobody ever goes there, the agenda here is to eat at the top,” Mr Odege said.

He wondered why Ethiopia had a higher rate than Somalia, which is more dangerous.

Huge differences in allowances was dangerous because the junior workers would resort to corruption to bridge the gap, he said.