On 21 November 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta used a public event in Mombasa to criticise leaders who keep pressing for salary increases while ordinary Kenyans continue to struggle.
He was speaking at the opening of the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani blue economy and agribusiness conference, where he urged elected leaders to put public welfare ahead of their own financial interests.
“With all due respect, everyone wants to live a good life, but before we as leaders live a good life, we should make sure that our people get the best,” he said.
The President said Kenyans do not object to leaders earning more, but he argued that such demands should not come before improvements in the lives of citizens. He pointed to reports in the local press showing MPs, MCAs and other leaders securing higher pay while many Kenyans remain under pressure.
“Kenyans have no problem with you leaders increasing your salaries, but only if you would work on their situations first. Sadly, here you have a scenario of suffering Kenyans who upon going through the local dailies, find that the MPs, MCAs and all other leaders have increased their salaries. I must say this, I don’t want war with anyone, but I’m saying these are things we must talk about as leaders,” he said.
Kenyatta also recalled a funeral he had attended recently, where mourners discussed an MP from a large constituency who used to earn Sh300 per month. He said that figure would not amount to even Sh20,000 in today’s terms.
He contrasted that with the pay of MCAs, saying: “But today, an MCA takes home Sh20,000 as sitting allowance to stay in the assembly for half an hour.”
His remarks came as MPs considered a proposal that would give them rent-free houses and other benefits. If the new Bill is passed, all 416 MPs, Speakers of both Houses and majority leaders in both chambers would receive a rent-free house, a government vehicle, expanded medical cover, travel allowances and a wider constituency outreach operation.
The proposed changes are contained in the Parliamentary Service Bill, which was scheduled for debate in the National Assembly the following afternoon. The package of benefits would add to the already generous pay of legislators, who were said to earn Sh1.2 million in salary.
The Bill draws partly from recommendations made by the National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. The committee, chaired by Baringo North MP William Cheptumo, tabled its report in the National Assembly the previous Thursday.
One of its key proposals was that all 416 members and the Speakers of both Houses be provided with official residences or a “suitable house allowance.”
