A proposed law sponsored by Suba South MP John Mbadi that was tabled on July 3, 2019, if approved, would see over 500 legislators - 130 of whom are dead, pocket at least Ksh2.7 billion.
The Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2019, fronted by the National Assembly minority leader is hinged on rewarding ex-MPs who served as far back as 1984 with a hefty Ksh 100,000-a-month lifetime package.
"This is in light of the fact that despite serving the nation, some former Members of Parliament are languishing in poverty and there is need to take care of their welfare," read an excerpt from Section 2 of the bill.
The bill further seeks to implement the recommendations of the Akiwumu Tribunal of 2009, one of which was that all the former legislators, dead or alive, be paid the equivalent of one thousand dollars as living pension with effect from July 1, 2010.
This would imply that if the amended version of the parliamentary pensions bill sails through, the payments will be backdated to January 2010, meaning each ex-MP will receive at least Ksh11.9 million.
Worryingly, for taxpayers, the motion got the first nod of approval from the National Assembly's National Planning Committee headed by Kipkelion East MP Joseph Limo.
The latest move by the MPs comes just six months since details emerged about how each of them, as well as Senators, pocketed Ksh2.25 million without Treasury's knowledge.
A report by the Daily Nation dated May 4, 2019, claimed that the lawmakers awarded themselves the money which was supposed to be paid out as Ksh 250,000 monthly rent allowance beginning August 2018.
The legislators, however, received the payout in a lump sum in April 2019, amounting to Ksh2.25 million for each of the 416 MPs and senators totalling to Ksh936 million.
