Justin Muturi defends MPs’ hefty mileage allowance
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi. He has defended the mileage pay for MPs and the Sh2.1 billion car grants, saying it is the practice worldwide. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Muturi said the Constitution recognises that lawmakers have two working stations; one in Nairobi and their respective constituencies.
High Court judge George Odunga on December 14 last year temporarily barred SRC from implementing the pay cut.
MPs’ salaries were fixed at Sh621,250 and their plenary sitting allowances removed.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has defended the mileage pay for MPs and the Sh2.1 billion car grants, saying it is the practice worldwide.
The Speaker yesterday said the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), the MPs’ employer, had reached a deal with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) over the car grant, and therefore it should not be an issue.
Mr Muturi said the Constitution recognises that lawmakers have two working stations; one in Nairobi and their respective constituencies, which SRC agreed to pay the mileage claims whenever they visit.
“All State officers have car grants. Is it therefore fair for one category of State officers to be discriminated over issues of allowances and if that is the case, can we get any justification? Unless we want to remove MPs from the category of State officer, there should be no complaints,” Mr Muturi said.
SALARIES
Addressing the Press on Thursday in Nairobi, Mr Muturi said MPs have not added even a coin to their pay, saying the function of determining State officers salaries rests with SRC and not Parliament as was the case in the old constitution.
“We have not set our own salaries as I have been seeing in the media, as that is a function of SRC. MPs salaries were fixed despite inflation and the cost of living,” he said.
The Speaker was responding to reports that MPs are set to pocket millions of shillings as salaries pending a determination of a case in court that barred SRC from implementing the slashed remuneration and benefits for State officers and MPs.
High Court judge George Odunga on December 14 last year temporarily barred SRC from implementing the pay cut. SRC in a gazette notice dated July 7, 2017, had proposed new salary cuts for State officers in the executive of the national government in a move aimed at saving the taxpayer Sh8.8 billion annually.
ALLOWANCES REMOVED
In the recommended remuneration structure, MPs were the biggest losers as they were to take a reduction in basic salary and lost five allowances including a Sh5 million car grant.
MPs’ salaries were fixed at Sh621,250 and their plenary sitting allowances removed. Their salaries, which started at Sh532,500, increased to Sh710, 000 in their last year.
Mr Muturi said PSC will respect the final decision of court as far as MPs pay is concerned. “Whatever we will be paid, we will be okay with it because it will be based on the determination of the court. In fact, MPs have been complaining that Parliament is the only institution where the more you work, the less you earn, unlike other State officers,” Mr Muturi said.
The debate on the outcry over MPs pay was reignited on Tuesday after PSC reverted to the SRC circular of November 15, 2013 on the MPs pay.
The Treasury is expected to release Sh2.1 billion in car grants to MPs, five months after it was abolished by SRC through a gazette notice in July 2017.
This means that each of the 416 MPs in the National Assembly and the Senate will get Sh5 million.
