House Speaker rubbishes Namwamba's pay cut proposal

Politics and policy

  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By LYNET IGADWAH, ligadwah@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• While noting he had handed over the motion to the House Business Committee, Mr Muturi said no salary reduction can be effected through Mr Namwamba’s proposals.
• He said that Parliament is guided by procedures and rules and anyone interested in having their basic pay cut would have to follow the right channels.
• Mr Namwamba motion had proposed the formation of a seven-member bipartisan select committee to oversee the process of restructuring, harmonising and balancing the public wage structure.

National Assembly speaker Justin Muturi has trashed a proposal by Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba to impose a 50 per cent pay cut on senior government officials, saying it would not solve the current teachers' crisis.

Mr Muturi termed the proposals poorly worked out, populist in nature and aimed at unnecessarily exciting the teachers.

“Even if we deduct the money, we would put it in a suspense account and not transfer it to pay teachers,” he said.

While noting he had handed over the motion to the House Business Committee, Mr Muturi said no salary reduction can be effected through Mr Namwamba’s proposals.

He added that Parliament is guided by rules and procedures and that anyone interested in having their basic pay cut would have to follow the right channels.

“They will have to write to the Speaker, indicating whom they want the money to benefit,” he said.

He made the remarks on Tuesday during the launch of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CPST) in Karen.

Mr Namwamba's motion had proposed the formation of a seven-member bipartisan select committee to oversee the process of restructuring, harmonising and balancing the public wage makeup.

The select committee to be known as Public Wage Review Committee would comprise three members of the National Assembly, two members from the Senate, one officer from the National Treasury and a representative from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

“These are so many issues which might probably need to be done in a referendum,” he said, noting that the public wage matter needed to be addressed squarely.

The Speaker was flanked by Homabay Women Representative Gladys Wanga and Kitutu Chache north MP Jimmy Angwenyi, both of whom shared his sentiments.

Mr Angwenyi said Parliament has no mandate in determining salaries for civil servants.

Ms Wanga on the other hand accused Mr Namwamba of being populist and hypocritical in his approach to addressing the education crisis.

“If he is honest in addressing the crisis, he would be here and not aboard a first class flight to New York,” she said.

Mr Muturi recommended that the motion be given priority due to its enormity when the National Assembly resumes its sittings next week.