Kenyan MPs Demand Accommodation in Nairobi 5-Star Hotels at Taxpayers’ Expense

Kenyan Members of Parliament are pushing for an accommodation allowance for the days they are required to attend House sittings.

The National Assembly Committee on Members' Services and Facilities has tabled a report seeking the implementation of the allowance.

The proposal was made after a benchmarking tour in New Zealand where the committee learned that the country's MPs enjoy an allowance of about Sh400,000 ($4,000) every time they travel to the capital for sittings.

"The committee also observed that during the financial year 2018/2019, among other programmes, the commission budgeted for facilitation of members of Parliament accommodation when they come to Nairobi to discharge their legislative work," part of the report reads.

"The committee observed that the said budget may not have been expended and was therefore interested in knowing the status of implementation of the specific allocation," it adds.

The report further notes that the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has been slow in implementing the proposal and wants a law to be made to compel it to act.

"The committee is, therefore, concerned and wishes to invoke the provisions of Article 254 (2) of the Constitution and recommend to the National Assembly to require the commission to report on the implementation of the matters contained in the second report of the committee adopted on August 15th, 2018," the report says.

Parliament normally sits every Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with committee sittings held on Mondays.

If implemented, the MPs will enjoy staying in five-star hotels in the city during the sitting days as recommended in the report.