Members of county assemblies have intensified calls for a pay rise from the current Sh144,376 to Sh400,000 a month.
The push for higher pay is being spearheaded by the County Assemblies Forum (CAF) at a time the country is grappling with a high wage bill in a struggling economy.
MCAs in Vihiga County, led by Assembly Speaker Chris Omulele, have added their voice to the calls. The 36 representatives joined their counterparts across the country in demanding a salary increase and a ward of a development budget.
Mr Omulele, a member of CAF, said MCAs want a meeting with President William Ruto to advance their pay increase agenda.
The demands for a salary increase and the establishment of the ward development fund were first made by CAF in November last year.
Yesterday, Mr Omulele said MCAs want a sit down with the Head of State to enable them to raise “matters that are of importance to them”.
“The pay structure and remuneration of MCAs is poor. They need to have a discussion with their national leaders so that this can be improved,” said Mr Omulele.
“The current pay cannot sustain MCAs because, unlike MPs, they are always with their people in the wards. The welfare of these MCAs is wanting and they are suffering. I am not afraid to say this because I sit with them and this is a discussion that we must have,” added Mr Omulele, who was joined by all the county MCAs.
Mr Omulele said he was speaking for all the MCAs who felt a meeting with the President would help resolve the issue fast.
The clamour for a pay rise by the more than 2,000 MCAs, will only worsen the country’s wage bill crisis at a time-limited public resources are also being gobbled up by repayment of public debt.
Late last year, Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge told MPs that for every shilling collected in revenue, about 40 per cent goes to servicing the public debt.
Should the MCAs get their way, the taxpayer will cough up an extra Sh32 billion over the five-year term.
MCAs have in the past complained that there is a massive disparity in their remuneration and that of MPs yet they play similar roles of oversight, representation and budget making.
In addition to the Sh144,376 monthly salary, MCAs have a Sh3 million inpatient cover, Sh200,000 outpatient cover, Sh100,000 maternity and Sh50,000 dental and optical cover.
Mr Omulele said MCAs also want the ward development fund anchored in law to enable them to initiate projects at the civic unit level.
