A taxpayers' lobby wants the payment of MPs' house allowance suspended.
National Taxpayers Association has called for the hastening of a court case to stop the Sh250,000 monthly allowance per legislator to avoid potential loss of public funds in case the court rules against the allowances to the MPs.
NTA officer Francisah Marabu says it will be easier to pay in arrears than to recover the public funds after the court ruling.
Marabu said the allowances will strain the taxpayers.
“Where do you expect 83.6 per cent in the informal sector to receive services from when a significant amount of their tax goes to cushion state and public officers?” she asked.
The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) had in 2017 sued the Salaries and Remuneration Commission arguing that its formula to pay the MPs was not procedural. The court concurred.
The MPs were recently paid the Sh250,000 per month house allowance each, backdated to August 2018.
The total wage bill compensation for all the MPs stands at Sh1,075,000 per month less the house allowance. It is Sh1,325,000 per month after the house allowance is factored in.
The monthly wage bill of MPs will increase by Sh104.5 million and Sh1.254 billion per year after Sh250,000 house allowance is factored in.
“PSC does not have the mandate to review or set salaries and allowances. SRC should be left to undertake their mandate,” Marabu said.
TheHigh Court has allowed activist Okiya Omtatah to serve all legislators on the matter now in court through a newspaper advertisement.
