Members of Parliament were on Friday slapped hard in the face after the High Court suspended payment of house allowances.
According to the court, the decision was viable to them until a case that was filed by the Salaries and Remuneration Committee (SRC) is heard and determined.
The SRC, through their lawyer Peter Wanyama, had filed a petition seeking to put to an end further implementation of the allowances and recovery of the monies so far paid to the legislators.
This move was in a bid to recover a whooping Ksh700 million paid illegally to the lawmakers on a monthly basis.
“The house allowance paid to MPs by the PSC is not contained in the constitutional structure of Remuneration and Benefits of State Officers in Parliament set, gazetted and communicated by the SRC,” the petition read.
The Star reported that Justice John Mativo further allowed the SRC to serve the commissioners of Parliamentary Service Commission through the senate clerk. The case will, however, be mentioned on June 12th during the inter part hearing.
According to an urgent application by the SRC, it required the high court to order the cash to be recovered from the MPs' salaries as well as stop any further payments of the same.
As per the reports by the publication, “An order be issued directing the clerks of the Senate and the National Assembly to recover from the salaries allowances to be paid to MPs and any house allowance paid to them that is outside the constitutional structure of remuneration of benefits of state officers in Parliament set and communicated by the SRC.”
The SRC also sued the PSC, clerks of both houses, and members of the PSC including National assembly Speaker Justin Muturi.
The commission's decision was inspired by the loss of public funds in excess of Ksh99.5 million monthly with the annual cost being Ksh1.1 Billion.
