It is now in public domain. And all but inanimate inhabitants in Kenya know that Members of Parliament have yet again demanded for a monthly pay increase. It is a known fact that they gave the Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta a seven-day ultimatum to Bill all their more money demands or else...
In the wake of the unquestionably gruesome demands by the already heftily paid members are some croaking voices who are desperately distancing themselves from the unanimous passage of the proposals.
The Mps now trying to back-bite their colleagues have no locus standi in doing so. If they had issues with the proposals they should have present themselves in parliament last week and objectively ridicule the Akiwumi pay report.
When the regular absentee honourables speak with glee and pride about misdemeanours their ‘parlimates’ committed when they were away, they not only expose their utter disunity in the august House but seek also to hoodwink Kenyans about their supposed sacredness.
The proposed constitution should not be tainted by these not-so-honourable members. The Mps’ enormous pay perks should not be associated in any way with the ongoing referendum campaigns. Firstly, the two, now monstrous situations facing Kenyans, do not relate whatsoever apart from a considerably distant section in the proposed constitution indicating that an ‘independent’ Salaries and Remuneration Commission tasked to, according to article 230 (3) (a), set and regularly review the remuneration and benefits of all State Officers.
The clause is human enough from what most legislators are heavily exploiting now-legally it is possible for them to corner the president into agreeing their salary increases but if the draft constitution is adopted, the legislators who the constitution expects to be among the State employees, would no longer have the prerogative to determine their monthly pay checks.
Secondly, this special-money-hungry group of employees who have escaped the taxman for quite a long time and to further ascertain their arrogance, are non-repentant of their actions, have no moral ground discussing what they have already agreed on and passed in parliament.
The Finance minister played good music to Kenyans when he categorically refused to heed to the demands. And President Kibaki will even excite Kenyans more if he refused to assent to the exploitative bill.
Media reports that legislators are planning to arm-twist the Treasury boss so he could surrender their money are unfortunate enough. If true, then such desperate tricks by respected people in society are archaic and idiotic enough. They are representative of a five-year-old kid tantrums; who when refused to have a bite of Mandazi because of his bulging stomach would resort to unorthodox behaviour like refusing to sleep so that his parents change their mind.
YS: It’s dumbfounding to hear Ikolomani Mp Dr Bonny Khalwale asking Finance minister to be answerable to parliament as far as the salary increase is concerned. What other answers does he want apart from what Uhuru said? If he is not frightening the minister into the House of Intimidation so he could threaten him with what he is only famed for- Censure motions, then another is much welcome.
YS2: If Mps succeed in their quest to have Sh1 million plus-salary every month then it will mean one member’s package is enough to pay 67 primary school teachers each receiving sh15, 000 per month. How disgraceful is this?
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