This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On July 5, 2019, the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) approved the publication of a constitutional amendment bill that would require Cabinet appointees to be drawn from Parliament.
The draft bill, proposed by West Mugirango MP Vincent Mogaka, aims to reduce the public wage bill by Sh223.7 million annually, according to the PBO.
The bill also seeks to delete Article 152 (3) of the Constitution, which bars a Cabinet Secretary from being an MP.
Currently, a Cabinet Secretary is paid Sh924,000 in monthly gross remuneration, according to the Gazette notice of July 2017 by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
Mr. Mogaka's proposal would mean savings of up to Sh500,000 for each of the 22 Cabinet Secretaries, who also enjoy a retinue of support staff, including bodyguards and drivers, all paid by taxpayer.
“The financial implication of the bill arises from the fact that where CSs are appointed from among MPs, there will be a reduced number of state officers. There will be cost savings in terms of security personnel, travel costs among others,” the PBO says.
The draft bill also proposes to amend the various articles of the constitution to provide that CSs be referred to as Cabinet Ministers as was the case before the promulgation of the new Constitution on August 27, 2010.
Mr. Mogaka compares his proposal to practices in South Africa and Singapore, among others, where Cabinet Ministers are selected from among the members of the National Assembly.
