PSC to meet Serem team over MPs’ salaries

By Luke Anami and Roselyne Obala

Nairobi, Kenya: Time is running out for the National Assembly to strike a deal with the salaries commission and a meeting on the same is scheduled for this week.

Reliable sources that, however, asked not to be quoted, said the legislators are only willing to compromise on their mileage allowance and not salary.

They are insisting that their salary remains at Sh851,000 as earlier set by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).

The PSC and the Salaries Remuneration Commission (SRC) are expected to meet and begin talks on the disputed increase, which is higher than the Sh532,000 the salaries body had set for the legislators.

A commissioner in the SRC told The Standard Sunday the PSC wrote them a letter requesting the meeting.

“We are expected to meet them tomorrow (Monday) at 11am, but nothing has so far been agreed because we have held no discussions so far,” said the commissioner after attending church service in Nairobi.

But House Majority Leader, Mr Aden Duale said the SRC and PSC had as of now generally agreed on the contentious issues and are expected to issue a joint statement on the breakthrough this week.

This despite the SRC denying it had agreed to anything with the MPs and describing their claims as “mere propaganda” fed to the media.

SRC chairperson Sarah Serem said she was waiting to meet the MPs, but their salary would remain fixed at Sh532,000 as appeared in the gazette notice that Parliament purported to revoke last week. But as the MPs push for an increment, Senators have said they will use diplomatic channels to seek a better package than what they have been offered by SRC.

Rough time

Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi said the Senate would use diplomatic means to push for salary increment.

Speaking at Kanyakine in South Imenti, Meru County, Kiraitu said the Senate is determined to come up with a solution to the row pitting the SRC against the National Assembly.

In a thinly veiled attack on the MPs’ attempt to revoke the gazette notice of SRC’s salary scales, Kiraitu warned that the threats being issued by some pro-government MPs might cause cracks in the Jubilee Government.

He said there is need for the legislators to give the SRC a conducive working environment rather than threaten to scuttle its efforts.

Kiraitu narrated how he personally has had a rough time getting used to the current salary, having been used to earning over Sh1 million when he was a minister in retired President Kibaki’s Cabinet.

In Nairobi, our SRC source confirmed the commission had received a letter from MPs to deliberate on the matter.

“We have scheduled a meeting with the legislators at our Office at Upper Hill to discuss the matter,” disclosed the commissioner who declined to be named.

Sources revealed the package of the Majority and Minority leader would be high on the agenda as per the request placed by PSC in its letter to the salaries commission.

Duale was among the most vocal MPs demanding the revocation of the SRC gazette notice that set their salaries at Sh532,000. MPs in the Tenth Parliament were earning a salary of Sh851,000.

Speaking on phone from his Dujis constituency, Dualle confirmed PSC and SRC would meet this week to look at, among other things, packages for the Majority and Minority and leaders in the National Assembly.

The MPs’ demands elicited mixed reactions from all quarters even as civil society reprimanded the lawmakers for pushing for high pays at the expense of Kenyans. Duale declined to comment on the Senate.

“In terms of precedence, the leaders of Majority and Minority are in the National Assembly and I’m not therefore aware of issues related to the Senate.”

Sunday, Serem, who chairs the SRC, remained defiant that they would not adjust the MPs’ salaries.

Minority Deputy Chief Whip Benjamin Washiali who spoke to The Standard on phone, agreed that they were yet to strike an agreement with the commission. “There is still no deal.”

Other senators’ say

Mr Washiali warned if their demands were not met, they would have no option but to devise a way to replace the commissioners. “We must get the package that the last Parliament will getting and if this doesn’t happen, we have no choice but to replace the commissioners.”

The PSC members expected to meet the SRC include Senators David Musila (Kitui), Sammy Leshore (Samburu), Beth Mugo (Nominated) while MPs Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache), Regina Changorok Nyeris, Adan Keynan (Wajir) and Gladys Wanga (Migori).

The salaries saga has dominated the Eleventh Parliament’s agenda, with disgruntled MPs threatening to disband the commission.

The National Assembly has already approved a resolution to reduce the number of SRC commissioners and put some on part-time employment.

Other measures contemplated by MPs include shooting down Thursday’s national budget and reducing the President, Deputy President, Judiciary, cother constitutional commissions and heads of State agencies by 57 per cent through legislation in the House.

While dismissing press reports that MPs will now earn Sh851,000 but have their travelling allowances reduced, Serem said she expected that the PSC would have invited the commission as soon as possible to engage in a peaceful and productive dialogue instead of reading the same from the media.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said his Government recognises the independence of SRC and its mandate as the only legal body allowed to set salaries for State officers and has asked the MPs to respect the commission.