South African MP Shocked by Kenyan MPs' Lavish Perks After Visiting Kenya

A South African Member of Parliament who visited Kenya this week on Thursday says he was shocked by the lavish perks accorded to Kenyan MPs.

The MP, Nqabayomzi Lawrence Saziso Kwankwa, arrived in the country on Wednesday for a two-day consultative meeting with parliamentarians from East Africa. Nqabayomzi, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Chief Whip, spent a day with Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura and wished he was an MP in Kenya. 

“Spending a day with Hon. Dr. Mwaura today in Nairobi, I realized that I am an MP for a wrong country. 😜 MPs here have a driver, a bodyguard, a PA, a researcher, a communication officer & an admin assistant,” Nqabayomzi tweeted.

He further indicated that Members of Parliament in South Africa do not have such privileges and have to fend for themselves.

“In SA, we fend for ourselves. We don’t even have PAs.”

In another post on Twitter, the MP lamented that the lack of technical support for SA MPs negatively affects the quality of their work.

Reacting to Nqabayomzi’s tweet, Bantu Holomisa, a South African MP and UDM president, said: “Tshawe I understand your frustration but Kenya has been there long before us. However, we may have to benchmark with Kenya. Although we are renowned with the best constitution in the continent or world but the support systems to SA MPs are a challenge.”