Cost of foreign trips to triple

Your MP will make more trips overseas in the next financial year — at least three times the number of trips they made this year, according to the Budget estimates.

Parliament’s budget for foreign and domestic trips has tripled in the 2011-2012 financial year.

The ballooning of the amount allocated for trips means Kenyans will fork out more to send their MPs on trips abroad and shoulder the accommodation of lawmakers as they tour various parts of the country.

As the Prime Minister’s recent sojourn to the US and the Vice President’s numerous trips abroad in a diplomatic initiative showed, accommodating a VIP and his delegation is an expensive affair.

The amount set aside for trips by committees, the Parliamentary Service Commission and the travels made under the Clerk’s Office and the Speaker’s Office rise from Sh162 million allocated in the current fiscal year to Sh491 million — three times what was allocated in 2010-2011.

The revelation comes as the House goes ahead with the scrutiny of the Budget, with a possibility of making amendments to portions where there’s a likelihood of wastage of funds.

The amount to cover the mileage claims and the usual transport of MPs is maintained at last year’s figure of Sh459 million.

The amount under “domestic or (foreign) travel and subsistence, and other transportation costs” covers the daily allowance, cost of plane tickets, taxis, food and accommodation.

According to the estimates, Parliament’s Budget is pegged at Sh8.1 billion with Sh6.5 billion being for the recurrent budget, while Sh1.6 billion has been set aside for the development budget.

The Sh491 million earmarked for local and overseas travels is likely to be explained by Parliament’s ambition to send MPs and staff abroad to study the working of a two-chamber Parliament, and, for training within in resorts in Mombasa, Naivasha or Nairobi’s aristocratic suburb.

The most notable leap in foreign travel is in an item labelled “procedure and committee services” where the amount rises from Sh45 million to Sh214 million.

The Speaker’s Office also had a tidy sum to manage trips with the amount rising from Sh9.4 million to Sh21.8 million.

The Clerk’s office has received Sh65 million to cater for foreign travel, up from Sh25 million allocated last year. The office is the administrative engine of the National Assembly.

Similarly, the PSC also saw its budget for domestic travels jump from Sh12.6 million to Sh21.2 million.

Also, an item called “policy and research”, which got no money in the last Budget, had Sh9.3 million earmarked for per diems, accommodation, plane tickets in local travels.

Treasury has also allocated Sh705 million for the refurbishment of buildings in the National Assembly, mainly the sprucing up of MPs’ offices and remodelling of more offices for the staff.

There’s also Sh680 million for the remodelling of the Old Chambers into a Senate and a Sh50 million for the purchase of land for building offices for senators.