No editorial checks on this article yet

This article is not approvedThe content of this article is not verified by the editorial team of Africanews.com. Read our editorial requirements to see the criteria we use to decide if we publish an article on the homepage of Africanews.

Kenyans Shocked with MPs Gluttony

  1. Posted on Saturday 3 July 2010 - 09:28
    paddingtonkenya
    Image of paddingtonkenya
    Kenyans are still in shock with the gluttony of the Members of Parliaments(MPs) after they voted unanimously to increase their pay perks to be the best in the world yet the constituents they represent wallow in poverty

    Treasury on Wednesday culled the pay increase the MPs had given themselves saying it had no money to accommodate that.If given,they would have been among the best paid legislatures in the world.At the same time,the tax payer would have had to shoulder more burden in order to meet the pay increase.

    In rejecting the pay increase the Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said, that the figures for this financial year do not include any additional allocations to the Kenyan Parliament for salaries and other perks.

    Kenyans on the streets of Nairobi and in Kajiado are still wondering how the people they elected could only think of themselves at a time when Kenya was struggling to make a come back after the Ethnic violence that took place.

    'They are greedy and should never have been elected.My child is sick and i can't afford medical care yet they are busy allocating themselves more money.It is sad.'said Mary Anyango from Kibera, Nairobi

    The same words were echoed by other Kenyans who are disgruntled by the gluttonous desires of the Kenyan MPs.

    'My family has nothing to eat.Why can't they give us even Ksh 5,000 to buy food.They have so much and we have nothing,' said George Likama from Eluai,Kajiado.

    The finance minister ,Uhuru Kenyatta also made it clear that actions of the MPs would trigger demands for salary increment by other sectors. Consequently, these will lead to a wage spiral, hence creating inflation and weakening Kenya's competitiveness.

    The civil society has shown its outrage by marshaling organisations and decrying the Finance Minister not to table the bills for the increments of pay perks.At the moment the the MPs take home Euro 8,500 of which only Euro 2,000 is taxed.

    With the new perks,an MP was going to take home Euro 12,000 with only Euro 3,000 being taxed.All this against a backdrop of poverty and despair where over 60% of the Kenyan population is living below a dollar.
    Kenyans Shocked with MPs Gluttony

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive