Sonko's payslip causes a stir on social media

By Njambi Mungai (@njambie)

Mike Sonko has never shied away from public scrutiny and yesterday, he gave Kenyans something to talk about; his payslip.

While many of us hide our continually shrinking payslips with all our might, the good Senator posted it on his Facebook page for his half a million fans to see.

His reason for that, to show how he is giving back his salary to the wananchi. He goes ahead to list exactly where his salary went for the month of April.

According to his status update, Sonko says,

"Being the first sunday of May, wiki ya watu kulipwa, i did what i have always promised since I joined politics in 2010:- giving my salary back to wananchi. This time I directed my full salary to do the work of God in churches by giving my offering & contributing in various church harambees. As the bible says "give so that the house of the Lord should not lack."

From my attached April pay slip gross salary of 1,015,025/= after refunding back all my savings deposits & other deductions like NHIF, PAYE, the 50,000/= loan ( I'm deducted for plastic surgery & bills 4 sinai victims) etc. to my gross salary, I divided it amidst:-

Nairobi calvary temple Buruburu-50,000/=;

Pentecostal church eastleigh (kiambio)- 50,000/=;

AIC Jericho-100,000/=

PCEA bahati-100,000/=

Pcea Kangemi 30,000/=; FPFKChurch Kibera 30,000/= ; Kawangware Methodist 30,000/=;

Pcea Lunga Lunga. 30,000/=; St. Francis Assis Mombasa 30,000/=; Sister Vivenzia memorial foundation 50,000/=; Pcea Umoja. 30,000/=;

Pcea Kangemi 30,000/=;

Jesus winners ministry Roysambu 30,000/=;

Makongeni SDA Kshs 40,000/=;

St. Joseph Catholic Church Mumbi Muranga 200,000/=; Aic yakamete Ngelani 100,000/=; 450,000/= foodstuffs, medicines, hiring of Doctors, nurses & lab equipments for a free medical camp I hosted yesterday & 200,000/= to Teen Challenge Kenya in a fund raiser for construction of a modern rehab centre for Nrb youth to fight against drugs. & alcoholism.

Some may call it show off, pride, but it is not pretence. It is a journey to self realization. Just like Psalms 105:1-2 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, proclaim his greatness: tell the nations what he has done…"

I believe that true generosity is when you give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing. But the secret is this: God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.

God bless you watu wangu."

If we do the math, the amount donated clearly exceeds the amount in the payslip. Shows that indeed Sonko went over and above his call of philanthropy.

But we got to ask, why are we wrangling about the wage bill when car maintenance benefits per month are almost equal to the price of an entirely different car?