MPs must tame their greed, times are hard

The hardline stance taken by MPs over the housing allowance they recently allocated themselves irregularly demonstrates their disdain for the rule of law. It shows they live in a different world far away from the voters who pay taxes to keep them in office.

At the heart of the matter is Sh250,000 monthly housing allowance the lawmakers awarded themselves and backdated to October 2018. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission has contested this, terming it illegal and subsequently taken the matter to court for adjudication. An activist, Okiya Omtatah, has similarly filed a suit in court challenging the award.

The latest move by the MPs is quite upsetting. They take advantage of their position in society to raise their remuneration package in total disregard of the law that stipulates that all matters of compensation for all public officers are handled by SRC. Moreover, they are oblivious of the economic hardships the country is facing that demands frugality. In fact, other public officers such as the police, teachers and doctors who deserve better are starved of a pay raise because of lack of cash.

On Thursday, MPs held an informal meeting at Parliament Buildings and fought off all criticism against their greed and resolved to defend themselves in court through lawyers to be hired by the Parliamentary Service Commission at the taxpayers’ cost. It is extremely odious that the MPs cannot learn from the public anger and tame their greed. Rather than respond to the raging  discontent, they have resorted to issuing threats, including purposing to disband SRC, which they perceive as a threat to their rapaciousness. Indeed, they have gone all-out to discredit other government officials and agencies, accusing them of drawing huge salaries and allowances and arguing, wrongly, that they deserve better than anybody else.

The work of MPs is to serve, not enrich themselves. In the past, MPs never earned huge salaries and those who took up the jobs went out of their way to represent voters’ interest, not for self-aggrandisement. The role seems to have become a money-minting enterprise. MPs are highly paid and draw many allowances, including pay for sitting in committees, and which they have turned into a milking machine. They have a lucrative mortgage scheme, car grant and a generous medical allowance. They cannot complain of poor pay. Often, most of them are absent from Parliament and hardly participate in legislation.

We have severally canvassed this matter and will not tire. The public must put pressure on MPs to stop this immoral tyranny, where they raid the national coffers and draw cash for themselves when everyone else is grieving. We must end this ravenous streak.