MPs reject proposal to increase salaries of their junior staff
MPs reject a proposal by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to increase the salaries of their junior staff.
The revised wage structure announced by the PSC for employees was rejected by the MPs, according to sources in the Parliament Liaison Office.
The PSC created the Liaison Office as a division to support and direct the activities of constituency offices.
It makes it easier for constituency offices to pay rent, employee salaries, and office operational costs.
The legislators contend that because their position is political, they should be allowed to choose who to recruit and at what salary.
The MPs disagreed with the PSC’s requirements for hiring personnel, claiming that they were the ones who knew who would work with whom.
The commission had mandated that constituency managers had a bachelor’s degree at the very least, but MPs cut the requirement to a diploma.
A bachelor’s degree was also required of personal assistants and ward coordinators, but MPs argued that the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) was sufficient.
However, they maintained the degree qualification for researchers.
An MP is required to use the allocated cash to hire at least one researcher to assist them with House-related legislative issues.
“You cannot tie us down on who to employ. This is a political office,” said a lawmaker who asked not to be named.
An office assistant and security guard would receive a minimum monthly salary of Sh35,000 and a maximum monthly salary of Sh87,000 under the PSC structure, which was rejected by the MPs.
However, MPs say that the minimum wage should stay at Sh16,000 and that the maximum should be up to them to decide.
The minimum monthly wage for constituency office managers in the 12th Parliament was Sh100,000. They were to receive up to Sh259,000 with a minimum of Sh115,500.
Many MPs in the last Parliament barely contributed Sh70,000, despite the minimum monthly wage for managers being established at Sh100,000.
In the 12th Parliament, a personal assistant to a member of parliament made at least Sh65,000 per month, while an office assistant made Sh20,000. The PAs were to receive a minimum of Sh69,000 and a maximum of Sh163,500 under the new system.
While an office secretary received Sh30,000 per month, a driver received Sh40,000. Maximum and minimum amounts were established at Sh129,000 and 45,000, respectively.
County, constituency, ward coordinators, field officers, accounts assistants, and procurement assistants would receive monthly salaries ranging from Sh69,000 to Sh163,500 under the new PSC structure.
The commission’s resolution paper 1490 on the pay conversion table established the new framework.
“The constituency office manager shall be the highest paid staff. No worker shall be paid less than Sh35,000 a month,” the guidelines read.
Currently, there is no cap on the salary payable to the people recruited by lawmakers as the commission only sets the minimum payable.
The commission said it came up with the structure because MPs pay their employees differently.
And just like in the 12th Parliament, lawmakers still want to have a free hand in determining the salary of their employees, as long as they stick to the minimum set by the commission.
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An MP’s workers include a constituency office manager, an account assistant, and a procurement clerk.
In addition, the lawmaker can hire a deputy constituency manager, PA, ward coordinator(s), secretary, researcher, office assistant, driver, and security guard.
The lawmaker is at liberty to terminate the service of his or her employee whenever he chooses to.
The commission allocates funds for county/constituency offices every year. It also sets expenditure ceilings per sub-vote-head.
The current monthly budget for personal emoluments is Sh811,000, Sh659,000 for consumables and office operations and Sh57,750 for rent allocation of CDF offices for those in Nairobi, Sh44,100 for constituency headquarters, and Sh35,000 for other areas.
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