Members of Parliament may be perceived to earn a lot of money, but the reality on the ground is different, Director Hansard and Audio Services Stephen Mutungi said.
According to Mutungi, MPs’ salaries in Kenya are determined by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which sets the pay for all state officers, including MPs.
“Our MP salary is determined by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. That is the one which determines state officers,” he said.
He noted that MPs do receive allowances for constituency work, but the nature of Kenyan politics makes the earnings inadequate.
“When you go to meet the people, they will expect you to give them something. I don’t think what they earn is enough,” he said.
Mutungi further stated that many MPs struggle financially, with mileage and other allowances quickly depleted.
“You will see them crying everywhere. They have no money. Even the mileage they are paid is finished once they go there,” he said.
The financial pressure is even more pronounced during election periods, when MPs are required to move constantly from one place to another to campaign.
“During the election period like now, they are supposed to move from one place to another. The money is not enough,” he added.
He contrasted Kenya’s political culture with that of countries like the UK, where voters do not have high financial expectations of their leaders.
“If you go to the UK, you will not even know when the elections are. Nobody will come to bother the MP. So whatever you earn is yours for the family,” he said.
“In Kenya, it is now very different. You have to take care of your people, your campaigners.”
He noted that while the public narrative is that MPs are paid very well, the reality for those on the payroll is different.
Mutungi spoke when a seven-member delegation from Ghana paid a study visit to the Kenyan Parliament. The delegation comprised the Media Relations Department and some members of the Parliamentary Press Corps.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/EcowasNewsOnline.com
