President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday, September 10, rejected the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
The Bill, which was tabled by Suba South MP John Mbadi, sought to see more than 375 lawmakers who retired between 1984 and 2001 receive a monthly pension of Ksh100,000 for life.
Speaker Justine Muturi notified legislators that the President had rejected the Bill and sent it back for reconsideration.
"In his memorandum, the President has expressed reservations on clause (2) of the Bill, that sought to amend- to provide for an entitlement for former Members of Parliament who served between 1st July 1984 - 1st January 2001, to a monthly pension of Ksh100,000," Muturi announced.
President Uhuru also noted that MPs' pensions under the Act were calculated according to the contributions paid into the scheme during their parliamentary term.
He observed that the Bill overlooked the mandate of the Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC) under the Constitution, which comprises of the setting and review of renumeration and benefits for all state officers, who include Members of Parliament.
While pushing for the motion, Mbadi and his colleague Junet Mohammed had urged the President to assent to the Bill which they say is timely and will alleviate the challenges their former colleagues.
Junet argued that some of the former lawmakers are paid as low as Ksh2,000 which barely catered to their basic needs.
However, Garissa Township MP Aden Duale urged the House to exercise caution, going on to share his fear that the enactment of the amendment could potentially open the doors for other sectors of the civil service to demand for a review of their pension schemes as well.
“It will create a spiral effect, within the civil service in that, if the MPs can increase, there pension to Ksh100,000, what about the Permanent Secretaries, Cabinet Ministers, and other civil servants,” he stated at the time.
