This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
On August 9, 2019, the striking similarity among Kenya's political elite was their insatiable greed for money and lavishness. This was evident in the demands made by Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) for new benefits and travel allowances.
However, the MCAs' latest demand for a housing allowance, citing a court ruling from the previous year, has been met with skepticism. The ruling, which stated that all State officers were entitled to the benefit, was conveniently used by the MCAs to pursue their self-interest.
The MCAs from Nairobi, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Garissa, Kakamega, and Murang'a counties argued that they deserved proper compensation for their work at the grassroots level. Nevertheless, a proper audit of their work would likely reveal that they are overpaid and enjoy trappings of power that they do not deserve.
The MCAs' aggression for cash is informed by the behavior of MPs, who have made it their business to award themselves all sorts of benefits when they so wish. In recent months, the MPs caused an uproar when they surreptitiously awarded themselves a Sh250,000 housing allowance, despite already benefiting from a lucrative mortgage scheme that is heavily subsidized.
Paradoxically, professionals like doctors, nurses, teachers, university lecturers, and public servants are poorly paid, with the government consistently arguing that it lacks resources to raise their salaries. The huge salaries for the political class and their acolytes have contributed to the ballooning wage bill that crowds out resources for other services.
Therefore, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the National Treasury must reject the machinations to give new allowances to MCAs. Not when the economy is struggling and everyone else is tightening their belts. The house allowance demand is unjustified.
