Kenyan MPs Allocate Themselves Sh6 Billion for Foreign, Local Travel

Members of Parliament could find themselves on the spot once again after setting aside Sh5.9 billion for their overseas and domestic travel in the coming financial year.

This budget is almost twice the Sh3.2 billion allocated for the same purpose in the current financial year. 

This was revealed in the estimates of recurrent and development expenditure of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) for the year to June 2019 tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

Senators, who are 67 in number, will spend Sh1.5 billion in foreign and domestic trips, up from Sh981.4 million allocated in the current year. On the other hand, 349 members of the National Assembly will use Sh4.4 billion, up from Sh3.5 billion this year.

The budget was tabled by Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale on behalf of the PSC. Further, it will cost taxpayers a whopping Sh42.55 billion to finance MPs and parliamentary staff operations in the financial year 2018/19.

This will make the legislative arm of the government the most expensive public institution in Kenya, calculated in terms of per capita spending.

PSC wants the Treasury to give Sh39.34 billion to Parliament for recurrent expenditure and a further Sh3.2 billion for development in the year 2018/19.

“The gross total resource envelope (recurrent and development) for financial year 2018/19... is Sh42.55 billion,” Justin Muturi, the PSC chairman and Speaker of the National Assembly, said in a report forwarding the House budget.