Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna on Wednesday recommended stringent austerity measures including budget cuts and concessional allocations for legislators.
While speaking during a senate session, the lawmaker noted that the budget cuts would be a relief to Kenyans who are currently demanding accountability from the parliamentarians.
Among the budget cuts recommended by the legislator include the toll fee allocation to some of the senators including him, which caters for his expense when using the expressway.
According to Sifuna, his current toll fee allowance stood at Ksh377,000, an amount which the lawmaker termed outrageous and unnecessary.
“When I became the deputy minority whip, I was allocated a GK vehicle, on the first day that I used that car to go home, I passed through the expressway, and I was shocked at the amount of money that was on my ETC card," Sifuna narrated.
"As of this morning when I used the car to come here, there is Ksh377,000 on my ETC on the vehicle that I had been given by parliament. I honestly do not need such an amount of money .”
The Nairobi senator went ahead and urged legislators to express high levels of integrity especially when approving budget allocations for themselves.
Sifuna also clarified the planned salary hikes for lawmakers. According to him, no Member of Parliament made such recommendations and the decision lay with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
"Nobody asked for that increment, nobody I know asked for it. We should formally resolve that we as senators are not interested in any additional salaries," the Nairobi Senator clarified.
Edwin Sifuna's remarks come against the backdrop of public uproar following a proposed salary increase for parliamentarians.
The proposal seeks to increase the salaries of the speakers of both houses in Parliament to Ksh1,208,362, from Ksh1,185,327.
Deputies would pocket a raise from Ksh948,261 to Ksh966,690 while Majority Leaders would see a Ksh15,251. New salaries for MPs and Senators will be Ksh739,600 from the past Ksh725,502.
