On 22 November 2018, reports emerged that some MPs had slowed down committee work and skipped sittings in protest over delayed sitting and mileage allowances from the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
The dispute also affected travel plans. Several foreign trips were said to have been cancelled and pushed to the following year because of “Exchequer issues,” while some lawmakers had not been reimbursed their mileage on time. National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi, who represents Suba South, was among those whose trip was reportedly postponed to February. He declined to comment when contacted.
The issue became public after Endebess MP Robert Pukose raised it on the floor of the House. He said the Energy Committee had been especially affected because members were choosing not to attend sittings when facilitation was not provided.
“When we go for any committee retreat nowadays, we are not facilitated. Members are not given their sitting allowance,” he said.
Pukose warned that Parliament could move to reconstitute the PSC if it continued to neglect MPs’ welfare. He said members were facing “many challenges” and suggested the commission should be given notice if it could not ensure proper facilitation.
National Assembly Clerk Michael Sialai rejected the claims, insisting there was no cash shortage in Parliament. He said the institution had enough money to support planned parliamentary work, including committee operations, and added that any pending travel or sitting allowances were only those submitted during the week and still being processed.
Sialai said delays could be linked to Central Bank of Kenya guidelines requiring Parliament to pay allowances through bank accounts rather than in cash. He said pay advice slips had already been issued for sitting allowances paid for October.
Despite that denial, some committee chairpersons privately said the financial strain was real and had lasted for about two months. One chairperson said delays in reimbursing sitting allowances had discouraged some members from attending committee meetings, forcing MPs to fund their own legislative work. The problem, according to the same accounts, had also reached members of the secretariat, who were using personal money to carry out official duties outside Parliament Buildings.
Nyakundi Report notes that the competing accounts left the PSC facing pressure from lawmakers while Parliament maintained that the payment system, not a cash crisis, was the main cause of the delays.
