Members of the National Assembly are pushing to take salary and benefits decisions away from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and place them under the Parliamentary Service Commission, a body whose membership includes MPs.
The House has already backed the idea in principle, with lawmakers arguing that Parliament should control its own welfare terms instead of leaving them to an outside commission. National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said the leadership would hold a retreat to refine the Parliamentary Service Bill, 2018, and add more changes that would improve members’ benefits.
Mr Duale and Minority Leader John Mbadi said the shift was necessary to stop MPs from being subjected to public criticism by an external body. Mr Mbadi said Parliament needed a commission that would look after the welfare of both members and staff.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission opposed the proposal during public participation before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee. In a memorandum to the committee, SRC secretary Anne Gitau said the clause should be amended to reflect Article 230(4) and the SRC Act, which gives the commission an advisory role and responsibility for determining the review cycle for terms and conditions in the public sector under SRC Act No. 10 of 2011.
Among the changes MPs want is a Sh300 million Monitoring Fund. The proposal has raised questions because the 290 constituency MPs already receive about Sh100 million each through the National Government Constituency Development Fund.
The Bill also seeks to change how parliamentary group meetings are funded, with MPs wanting caucuses to be facilitated inside Parliament Buildings rather than left to political parties to organise on their own.
Another major demand is wider medical cover. The current scheme provides Sh10 million inpatient cover per family, Sh300,000 for outpatient care, Sh150,000 for maternity and Sh75,000 for dental treatment. It covers the MP, one spouse and four children below 25 years. Lawmakers now want the cover extended to more than one wife.
The package under review also includes allowances for domestic and international travel, as well as more support for running the 290 constituency offices. MPs currently receive Sh110,800 per diem for work trips to the United Kingdom and Sh81,700 for travel to India.
The House is expected to vote on the Bill before members break for Christmas. Duale said the legislation should anchor mortgage, mileage and house allowances in law.
On Tuesday, MPs resolved during a Kamukunji chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi in the main Chambers to push the Bill through the House.
The move comes despite public criticism and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s rebuke over repeated demands for better terms of service.
