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MPs must refund Sh2.7bn illegal house allowances
The decision to recover some Sh2.7 billion that MPs received in illegal allowances is a big victory for the taxpayer.
It was not just illegal, but it was also immoral of the lawmakers to take advantage of their highly privileged position to fleece the taxpayers.
There’s no doubt that the lawmakers are entitled to allowances to ease the discharge of their duties. What is unacceptable is the tendency to unilaterally vote hefty sums for themselves.
The seemingly relentless pursuit of allowances raises the question as to whether leadership is a calling to serve the people or an avenue for the elite to filthily enrich themselves.
This contentious accommodation allowance was granted on April 24, 2019, and backdated to October 2018. During the 26 months, each of the MPs received a whopping Sh6.5 million, which they must now return to the Exchequer. The Court of Appeal has endorsed a High Court directive to the clerks of the National Assembly and Senate to recover the money from the MPs.
This is a sound decision that the lawmakers and the Parliamentary Service Commission should not bother going to the Supreme Court to seek to reverse. They benefited from an illegality and should co-operate to right the wrong.
Indeed, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, whose constitutional mandate is to set public sector emoluments, did not sanction the Sh250,000 monthly accommodation and house allowance.
Although the MPs have argued that their counterparts in other countries are paid an allowance to enable them to hire or lease a house where Parliament is located, they also happen to be among the highest paid lawmakers in the world.
In 2019, a study by the UK-based Independent Parliamentary Standard Authority and the IMF ranked Kenya’s MPs as the world’s second most-highly paid lawmakers after Nigeria despite our poor economy.
The inequity in remuneration and benefits with other State officers could lead to copycat demands. It’s upon MPs to demonstrate that they are responsible leaders and not leeches driven by sheer greed.
The sooner they begin paying back the money, the better for themselves. After all, in just under seven months, voters will determine their fate.
