Sh20m to be spent by MPS, aides on Mombasa conference

Some 120 MPs and their aides will travel to Mombasa on Sunday, in what is becoming an increasingly common trend for parliamentary committee work.

Whereas these delegations give the ailing local tourism industry a much-needed boost, it comes at great cost to taxpayers.

The politicians are usually accompanied by a host of support staff, including bodyguards, drivers and even nannies, for breast-feeding women MPs and staff.

While in Mombasa, the MPs will discuss the budget, the Constituency Development Fund Bill and their welfare.

Some 62 MPs, over 50 staff and aides have been booked on return tickets.

SHOCKING EXPENDITURE

They include political parties’ leadership in the House, 21 Parliamentary Service Commission members, members of the Speaker’s panel, chairpersons of committees, House Business Committee members and resource persons.

The staff are paid a daily per diem of Sh2,500.

A Parliamentary Service Commission official told Saturday Nation that an MP could make up to Sh1 million in per diem claims in a single foreign trip, adding that destinations are carefully selected to ensure maximum economic gain.

The Saturday Nation has obtained documents detailing the shocking expenditure of the MPs’ Sh2.5 billion annual domestic and foreign travel budget which includes the funding of allowances, air tickets and accommodation for trips and committee sessions.

Committee work mostly happens when Parliament is not in session and the holiday haven of Mombasa is almost always the preferred destination, at great cost to the taxpayer.

About Sh20 million would be spent on the latest conference in Mombasa. Last week, up to seven committees including five from the National Assembly were down at the coast, for various retreats.

But despite huge expenditures on logistics, some MPs disappear immediately they arrive in Mombasa, causing embarrassing quorum hitches and rendering entire business useless.

Investigations by Saturday Nation also revealed that some lawmakers don’t make the trip but do not cancel their flight and hotel bookings, forcing the National Assembly to incur huge expenses on “no-shows”.

And on foreign trips some committee chairmen work with junior clerks who spend time on the Internet, fishing for information on international workshops and conferences that can justify foreign travel.

This week National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, his Senate counterpart Ekwee Ethuro, several MPs and parliamentary staff have been in New York attending a speakers’ conference.

New York, Washington, Singapore, Beijing, Dubai, Paris and Scandinavian cities are among top destinations for their hefty per diems.

National Assembly Clerk Justin Bundi confirmed that the leadership conference in Mombasa will go on from tomorrow to Wednesday.

Mr Bundi admitted that some concerns touching on wastage have been raised. He said his office has issued a circular to surcharge MPs who do not travel.
“We are trying to have this matter rectified,” said Mr Bundi, who is himself out on an official overseas trip.

Mr Bundi also said that he had become strict on “Google missions” to identify mouthwatering trips, only approving genuine parliamentary trips mostly funded by state departments and partners and are relevant to House business.

Parliamentary Service Commission Secretary and Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyengenye explained that Parliament finances breast-feeding mothers to take nannies. “This was proposed by a member and adopted by the commission to allow MPs and staff with children below one year to carry their nannies while on parliamentary business,’’ Mr Nyengenye said.

Education committee chairperson, Murang’a Woman Rep Sabina Chege, will have her nanny among her support staff.

The clerk said disabled members and staff also enjoy the same treatment.

And Ms Florence Obonyo who is Parliament’s director of committees said that strict management of committee affairs was being implemented to curb truancy.

“But it must be known that we are dealing with special clients.

“You cannot treat MPs like high school students that you want them to ask for permission when they are walking out of a committee or House sessions. It is difficult to do that,” Ms Obonyo said.

She said that scrutiny has, however, been enhanced to ensure that only MPs who work benefit from allowances and per-diems. Ms Obonyo also defended Mombasa trips saying that MPs prefer the city because of its convenient transport, hotel infrastructure and flexible flights compared to Kisumu, Eldoret and Naivasha.