The newly elected Members of Parliament have threatened to disband the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for abolishing their sitting allowances even before they are sworn in.
According to various reports, the newly-elected lawmakers are planning to table a motion to disband the SRC after it advised the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to scrap the sitting allowances.
The lawmakers are accusing the SRC of encroaching on its authority and want the Parliamentary Service Commission to challenge the decision in court.
"We will not sit and watch the SRC take away what we enjoyed in the last Parliament. We will ask the Parliamentary Service Commission to challenge the gazette notice failure to which we will embark on a process to disband the SRC," Tim Wanyonyi, the Westlands MP-elect, was quoted by TV47.
SRC moved to scrap car grants and allowances for Members of Parliaments (MP) and Members of County Assemblies (MCA) elected in the August 9 elections.
The Commission's chairperson, Lyn Mengich, announced that the sitting and mileage allowances were also annulled in the new reviews.
Among other changes that the SRC made, all Speakers and County Executive Committee Members (CECs) were subjected to the new guidelines.
“Sitting allowance for plenary sessions in Parliament and County Assemblies is abolished and ceases to be payable,” Mengich stated.
Mengich noted that the SRC was ready for a lawsuit from the lawmakers who successfully fought a similar directive in 2019.
SRC indicated it would defend its decision in court on the basis that it announced the new directive before the MPs and MCAs were elected.
MPs are opposed to the new reviews, which will see the president earn Ksh1.4 million inclusive of house and commuter allowances while the deputy will earn Ksh1.2 million.
Cabinet Secretaries and Attorney General will be paid Ksh924,000 inclusive of all allowances and the Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate will earn gross salaries of Ksh1.1 million.
Their deputies will be paid Ksh928,000. Members of Parliament and Senators will each be paid Ksh710,000.
