MCAs have been earning up to triple their salary by awarding themselves hefty allowances, according to a report by the Controller of Budget released on Tuesday, October 15.
The data showed that Narok County spent a monthly average of Ksh765,639 per MCA, up from Ksh328,757.
It was followed closely by Taita-Taveta, which spent Ksh722,292 on each ward rep every month. In both counties, this translated to about Ksh25,000 per day for each MCA in allowances.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) criticised the county ward representatives noting that the court ruling that annulled SRC guidelines on their pay gave them a blank cheque.
According to the Daily Nation, SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich, while affirming that the action by the MCAs was illegal, urged elected leaders to seriously consider whether it is right to earn that kind of money.
Mengich spoke against the backdrop of increasing anger as civil society groups argued that MCAs were overly self-serving.
In a statement issued by the national coordinator of the National Civil Society Congress (NCSC), Churchill Suba, the MCAs were accused of using their positions as an avenue to enrich themselves.
“It is unfortunate and shocking that what Kenyans bestowed on the leaders is now being
undermined by the same leaders and used against the wishes of the Kenyans,
“We expected MCAs to stick to the salary rates proposed by the SRC but now they are demanding
more," he stated.
The Controller of Budget showed that the ward reps’ average monthly benefits, for the first time since 2013, crossed the Ksh 500,000 mark.
The report showed that their average salaries, allowances and benefits rose to Ksh 547,146 in the year to June 2019, up from Ksh 451,827 for the same period the previous year, a 21% increase.
