MPs gang up against Kibaki over stopped pay

By ALLAN KISIA

Wounded MPs talked themselves into a fury as emotions ran high in Parliament after President Kibaki nipped their bid for a hefty severance package in the bud.

Some MPs unleashed tirades against the President, Finance Minister Njeru Githae and the chair of the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution (CIC), Charles Nyachae

The media was also not spared as MPs claimed they misled the public over the Sh9.3 million per MP send-off package.

It was evident the legislators were unmoved by the rage Kenyans across the country expressed last week after the MPs sat late into the night to pass the Finance Bill that would have given them a total of Sh2.1 billion as ex gratia payment.

On Thursday, temporary speaker Joyce Laboso had to ejected MPs Gideon Mbuvi (Makadara) and Charles Keter (Belgut) from the House for the rest of the day’s business as the verbal melee hit the roof.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  When citizen protectors turn into tormentors
• 
  State to publish amended ICT Bill as cybercrime threats rise
• 
  Lawmakers launch campaign to tackle rising femicide, GBV
• 
  From trash to cash: How waste-preneurs are leading plastic recycling revolution

Pained by the reality that for the first time the Executive would not bow to their lavish demands in the form of severance pay, MPs exchanged bitter words and made wild allegations.

At some point, Transport Minister Amos Kimunya rose on a point of order to defend President Kibaki, telling his colleagues their remarks against the Head of State were out of order.

But the MPs reserved most of their anger and harsh words for Nyachae with Wajir West MP Adan Keynan levelling serious allegations against the CIC chair.

“Nyachae is misplaced, deceitful, an agent of impunity and he does not follow the law,” Keynan stormed.

Nyachae had warned that CIC would have gone to court had President Kibaki signed the Finance Act (Amendment) Bill with the offending clauses.

Laboso had a hectic time trying to cool tempers as MPs called Nyachae all sorts of names in addition to accusing him of playing to the public gallery.

MPs appeared to be fighting back, using Nyachae’s name and President Kibaki’s to save face.

But even as they expressed fury, two legislators, Ikolomani MP Bony Khalwale and his Gichugu counterpart Martha Karua opposed their arguments.

Khalwale dismissed his colleagues and said they should let the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) do its work.

“Out of the Budget, only 30 per cent is available for development purposes. The rest is remuneration,” he explained.

Karua acknowledged that indeed some commissioners earn a lot but said she would not oppose a planned move by the SRC to slash the salaries of MPs.

Last week Kenyans reacted angrily to the move by MPs terming it shameless and selfish.

Kenyans interviewed said the over Sh2 billion send-off package the legislators awarded themselves would have gone to a better use, such as investing in health and education.

Calling the CIC chairman “hypocritical”, the MPs wondered why Nyachae opposed their perks yet he earns over Sh1.2 million, a figure slightly higher than that of legislators.

Wajir West MP Adan Keynan, who had moved the amendment to the Bill, was particularly vehement in denying that the alteration was sneaked in at the last minute.

“I want to say that the amendment was not sneaked in at night. Finance minister Njeru Githae had the amendment for four days before it was brought here,” he stated.

Keynan then claimed that President Kibaki, who rejected the amendment, was well aware of the alteration of the Bill way before it appeared before the House.

“The amendment I moved was approved by Githae and the President was aware of it. It was not my amendment alone. I was asked to do it on behalf of Githae,” he claimed.

While defending President Kibaki on a point of order in response to Keynan’s claims, Kimunya was booed and heckled forcing Laboso to stand on her feet and warn members.

“Why do we invoke the name of the President here yet we know it is not allowed? We must obey the laws that we make. You may shout at me as much as you want,” stated Kimunya. It is at this point Keter and Mbuvi were ejected out of the House.

Kimunya explained that the name of the President could only be invoked with specific instructions of a Cabinet minister.

“Was Keynan in order to imply that the President was aware of his discussions with Githae,” posed the Transport minister.

MPs further wanted to know under what circumstances the salary of Nyachae rose from Sh400,000 to Sh1.2 million per month.

The storm blew over during question time when Finance assistant minister Oburu Odinga was responding to a question by Bonchari MP Charles Onyancha. Onyancha had sought to know the salaries and allowances for all commissioners in the independent commissions set out in the Constitution.

Oburu noted that there are 11 commissions, among them the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Teachers Service Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the CIC among others.

He noted that there are 72 commissioners and 98 judges whose salaries amount to Sh123 million per month.

He further noted that over Sh71 million caters for salaries while Sh51 million are allowances.

“TSC commissioners earn the least, but most of the commissioners earn more than Sh1 million a month,” stated Oburu.

Nyando MP Fred Outa wondered why MPs have been accused of earning too much while commissioners go unnoticed.

Onyancha said the commissioners are as expansive to the Government as MPs.

Cherengany MP Joshua Kuttuny said Nyachae earns too much with little work to show for it.

Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo accused commissioners of condemning MPs as greedy.

Keter wanted to know how much the MPs are given for their cars and their benefits at the end of contract.

“We want to know how much Nyachae will get at the end of his term,” he stated.

Nyachae termed the proposed changes to the Finance Act by Parliament increasing their allowances as unlawful and unconstitutional and in conflict with the constitutional mandate of the SRC.

Karua had asked President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to reject MPs’ bid to raise their severance perks saying the President should not assent to the Finance (Amendment) Bill 2012, which has the offending clause giving each lawmaker Sh9.3 million at the end of their term.

The matter will come before the House on Wednesday next week when Oburu will give more answers to questions raised by MPs.

Oburu tabled a list containing details of remuneration packages of commissioners and judges. Nyachae earnsSh1,244,960 with his vice chair getting Sh1.1 million.

The TSC chairman earns Sh522,000 per month while the vice chair gets Sh472,000.

The Chief Justice earns Sh1.2 million while the Deputy Chief Justice gets Sh1 million a month.

Court of Appeal judges earn Sh861,000 and the IEBC chairman Sh874,000.