After a week on intense vetting of President William Ruto’s Cabinet nominees, Kenyan taxpayers have to shoulder the bill.
The vetting of Cabinet Secretaries, where 17 MPs and the Speaker threw tough-sounding questions cost the taxpayer close to Sh5 million in allowances and a two-night stay at a luxury city hotel charging Sh20,000 a night.
In sitting allowances alone, the 21-member National Assembly Committee on Appointments pocketed Sh2.4 million, spending more than Sh800,000 in hotel fees.
The amount could go higher when allowances and accommodation fees for 21 parliamentary support staff who participated as well as drivers and bodyguards, is factored in and the meals and refreshments.
The accommodation fees amount to close to Sh1.6 million.
Each MP earned Sh15,000 as sitting allowance daily for the seven days they sat, which includes the two days they retreated to write a report, meaning each earned approximately Sh105,000. That is in addition to an extra late duty allowance earned for the days they sat beyond working hours, which traditionally ends at 7pm.
That saw the taxpayer fork out close to Sh2 million to fund sitting allowances of the 19 MPs sitting in the committee, which divided the vetting into two sittings (morning and afternoon) daily.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula earned the fattest pay cheque courtesy of his position as the committee’s chair.
With a parliamentary committee chairperson’s allowance capped at Sh15,000 per sitting, Wetang’ula made Sh30,000 every day, taking his pay to more than Sh200,000.
He, too, is eligible for the late duty allowance not included as allowances.
As does Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss, who made approximately Sh170,000 for the seven days, excluding the late duty allowance.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s guidelines on salaries and allowances caps the sitting allowance for a committee chair at Sh15,000, with a monthly limit of Sh240,000.
A vice chairperson is entitled to Sh12,000 per sitting, with a monthly cap of Sh192,000, with an MP earning Sh7,500 per sitting against a monthly limit of Sh120,000.
