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In 2021, then-Treasury CS Ukur Yatani said that the government would pay the lot a one-off gratuity in the current financial year.
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However, no payment has been made, forcing the former council members to file a fresh petition to the Senate to push for the payment.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Senators have summoned National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njunguna Ndung’u and his Labour counterpart Florence Bore over non-payment of Sh2.6 billion to some 12,000 former councillors.
The Treasury has failed to give an honorarium to the former councillors who served between 1996 and 2012. An honorarium is a once off payment given as a reward for exemplary service.
In 2021, then-Treasury CS Ukur Yatani said that the government would pay the lot a one-off gratuity in the current financial year.
However, no payment has been made, forcing the former council members to file a fresh petition to the Senate to push for the payment.
On Thursday, the Senate’s Labour and Social Welfare Committee called for the expedition of the payment.
Each of the 12,000 former councillors is expected to receive at least Sh200,000 from the government.
During a meeting with former councillors, the panel chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor was informed that most of the councillors were living destitute lives despite being owed cumulatively around Sh2.6 billion by the government.
On Thursday, CSs Ndung’u and Bore failed to appear before the panel to explain the status of the payment.
“We have been informed that the two Cabinet Secretaries could not make it due to other pressing engagements, we only needed them briefly to tell us when the former 12,000 councillors will get the pay that they have been pursuing since 2013,” Murgor said.
Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo was moved to tears when he was shown photos of a former councillor dressed smartly while in office and a recent one showing him living in poverty.
This was after members of his family deserted him since he did not have any money to cater for their needs
Madzayo said he has one of his uncles, a former councillor, who is also living in poverty.
“I have listened to the presentation made by the representatives of the 12,000 former councillors and I feel that they were addressing me directly,” he said.
“It is our duty to ensure that they get Sh200,000 each as appreciation for their services to the nation.”
Former Councillors Forum National Chairperson Geoffrey Gitau told the committee that so far 4,000 former councillors have passed away without payment.
Gitau said that the former councillors had initially sought an honorarium of Sh1.2 million each, which cumulatively could have been Sh14.4 billion.
He said that a task force formed to look into their welfare recommended that they be paid each Sh550,000 before the National Treasury slashed it further to Sh200,000.
“Most councillors served at a time there was no CDF or counties, therefore, the little money they got went into fundraisers for various programmes in their areas, leaving them with nothing for their respective families. Kindly help us get this honorarium payment,” Gitau said.
The forum’s vice chairperson William Komen said that it was unfortunate that many of them have died without benefitting and that they hoped this issue will be dealt with once and for all.
Komen said that they had met President William Ruto when he served as the Deputy President and he understood their plight.
“We pray that our government will consider this matter as urgent since it is not fair for us to becoming to Nairobi every now and then to pursue a matter which only requires the commitment of the National Treasury to dispense with, we ask the President to intervene,” Komen said.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said that the Senate will pursue the matter to ensure that the senior citizens are accorded the respect they deserve.
He assured them that this will be the last time they are travelling to Nairobi to seek for funds approved many years ago.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua had sought a statement on the status of implementation of the payments by Treasury.
Wambua wanted to know whether the government would consider enrolling the former councillors and their spouses to the NHIF scheme to benefit from treatment in their respective county health facilities.