MPs demand for March salaries, threaten action on Treasury CS

Normally, lawmakers receive their salaries between 26th and 30th of every month but by beginning of Easter holiday on April 7, they had not been paid.

"The response from Treasury is that the delay has been caused by lack of funds. This is however unacceptable because it reflects poor funds management on its part and we are worried that soon even our military will go without pay," said another MP from UDA.

The legislators warned that should their salaries not hit their accounts by Tuesday, they would summon National Treasury CS Njuguna Ndungu and "explore more punitive measures against Treasury officials."

However, National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah downplayed the crisis and even made fun of his counterpart Opiyo Wandayi, who is the minority leader.

He posted: "My colleague @OpiyoWandayi claims his salary hasn't been paid. Bro, check your a/c or manage your debts better. Salaries were paid on Wednesday & Thursday, maybe yours was wiped out by personal debts like our national revenues are wiped out by that DEBT HOLE the handshake regime put us in."

However, another MP said: "The Easter holiday has been nothing short of unsatisfactory. We have constituents and families depending on us and you can imagine their disappointment when we showed up in the village empty handed."

"This cannot continue happening. The country is in a crisis and it is up to us (parliamentarians) to do something about it," he added.

For the first time since independence, legislators from both the National Assembly and the Senate were rocked by a salary delay and joined a long list of civil servants that are yet to be paid their March dues.

Wandayi on Friday blew the whistle on the delay, accusing the Kenya Revenue Authority of being behind the same.

He urged Parliament to conduct an inquiry into the financial crisis including a probe into operations at the National Treasury, the Central Bank of Kenya and KRA.

"We believe a lot of our cash flow problems have got to do with corruption, tribalism, nepotism, incompetence and plain theft at critical revenue collection points, starting with KRA, in addition to wrong spending priorities," Wandayi added.

The Ugunja MP decried that other civil servants have also been affected, except members of the security services, including the military and police, and teachers.

He further called for scrutiny of the revenue collection and management system which he claimed is being manipulated by officials to deny the state the much needed cash flow.

"For the first time since independence in 1963, the government of Kenya is unable to pay salaries to civil servants and members of parliament. Nearly all civil servants don't know when or if they will ever be paid. The situation has been degenerating progressively since December last year," he said.