MPs Take Home Sh650 Million after Working for Only 13 Days

Members of Parliament have received Sh650.4 million in salaries in the last three months after being in duty for only 13 days over that period.

Parliament has undertaken minimal business since the MPs were sworn in on August 31st. Each if the 349 MPs take home a monthly income of Sh621,250.

Parliamentary sittings have been adjourned a record four times since September. After electing speakers and their deputies, both Senate and the National Assembly took a break and reconvened on September 12th for the official opening of the House by President Kenyatta.

The following day, Jubilee affiliated MPs appointed Amos Kimunya (Kipipiri), Shadrack Mose (Kitutu Masaba), Kawira Mwangaza (Meru) and Joyce Emanikor (Turkana) to the House Business Committee, but opposition MPs declined to fill-in the three slots allocated to them in the committee.

Consequently, the House took a recess on September 14th and resumed on September 26th for only two days, where 12 members were named to the Committee on Selection and three to the chairperson’s panel. On September 28th, the Parliament again adjourned and resumed on October 10th.

Sessions then continued for only two days before taking another break on October 12th until November 8th, when MPs Dan Wanyama (Webuye West), Rehema Dida (Isiolo) and Andrew Mwadime (Mwatate) were approved to the Parliamentary Pensions Management Committee.The MPs then adjourned to November 29th.

The MPs are further scheduled to another break this month for the long Christmas holiday and resume sittings next year. The operations of the House have been crippled by the clash between Jubilee and NASA MPs over the disputed presidential elections. MPs affiliated to Nasa have skipped crucial sessions.