Speaker in talks over MPs’ pay cut

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi (left) being sworn in as chairman parliamentary Service Commission looking on is Defence and Foreign Relations committee chairman Aden Keinan. Photo/ANTHONY OMUYA 

By Edwin Mutai

In Summary

• National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi said the matter of salary review for Members of Parliament and staff was still active.
• Through a Kenya Gazette notice published on March 1, 2013 SRC reduced the salary of MPs from Sh851,000 to Sh532, 500 as part of efforts to reduce the total public sector wage bill.
• A number of MPs have threatened to institute amendments to the Constitution to disband the SRC, terming the reduction “unconstitutional.”

The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has sought to play down the push by legislators for higher pay saying negotiations were in progress over the dispute.

PSC said Wednesday it would be bound by the Constitution and would not “speak out for individual MPs who have expressed their views on the pay cut.”

“We are a constitutional commission like SRC [Salaries Remuneration Commission] and others. We will operate within the confines of the Constitution and other relevant laws,” National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi said after being sworn in as the PSC chairman.

Mr Muturi, who was elected the Speaker of the National Assembly last Thursday, said the matter of salary review for Members of Parliament and staff was still active.

“I want to ask you to allow ongoing negotiations to be concluded. The results of these negotiations will be made public,” Mr Muturi said.

Article 230 (4) of the Constitution empowers the SRC to set and regularly review the remuneration and benefits of all State officers, including MPs.

Through a Kenya Gazette notice published on March 1, 2013 SRC reduced the salary of MPs from Sh851,000 to Sh532, 500 as part of efforts to reduce the total public sector wage bill which constitutes about a third of the total budget.

The Commission also capped allowances payable to MPs at 40 per cent of the basic pay and put a ceiling on the number of committee meetings MPs can attend in a week.

The review will see chairs of committees earn up to Sh160, 000 per month while ordinary members will be paid up to Sh80,000 per month. Committee chairmen will be paid Sh10, 000, their deputies Sh8, 000 while ordinary members will get Sh5, 000 per sitting for up to four meetings per week.

(Read: MPs begin a new life without lavish pay and privileges)

A number of MPs have threatened to institute amendments to the Constitution to disband the SRC, terming the reduction “unconstitutional.” The MPs intend to introduce a motion to revoke the gazette notice that set out the new pay arguing that it was a subsidiary legislation.

If motion fails, the MPs plan to introduce a constitutional amendment to disband the SRC and give the mandate to set salaries and other benefits of all public servants to separate commissions, including the PSC.

The other option they intend to pursue is to initiate legislation that would see Ms Serem and other commissioners removed from the commission.

SRC chairperson Sarah Serem, however, said last week no complaints had been received over the lawmakers’ pay cut.

The Law Society of Kenya last week opposed the MPs’ schemes saying the MPs had no reason to disband the SRC.

“Making any constitutional amendments would require a referendum,” LSK chairman Eric Mutua said, adding that MPs would have to find grounds for investigating the commissioners and eject them.

 

The Clerk of the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye was also sworn in as the PSC secretary in line with provisions of Article 127 of the Constitution.

Mr Muturi said all House committees would be in place before the start of the budget scrutiny.

“We will certainly have all committees in place, including the Budget and Appropriation committee before the end of the month,” Muturi said.

On Wednesday, the 418 members of the 11th Parliament started registering for the Sh10 .6 million annual medical cover each of them is entitled to.

The medical cover announced by SRC together with the reduced salaries covers the 349 members of the National Assembly and 67 Senators, their spouses and up to four children who are below 25 years and dependent on their parents.

Each of the MPs and Senators will be entitled to an inpatient cover of Sh10 million, an outpatient cover of Sh300, 000, maternity cover of Sh150, 000, dental cover of Sh75, 000 and optical cover of Sh75, 000.

The scheme is provided by AON Hewitt (formerly AON Minet) which won the tender to provide the services.  

Senior Deputy Clerk Michael Sialai said MPs should produce passport size photographs for each member of the family, copies of birth certificates for children and copies of marriage certificates or sworn affidavits for spouses.