MPs now oppose pay hike

A section of legislators is now distancing itself from the decision by Members of parliament to increase their salaries.

The legislators are instead using the move as a platform to drum up support for the proposed new constitution saying the new document does not provide leeway for legislators to increase their pay at will.

This group of legislators includes assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando and Gichugu MP Martha Karua.

At the same time the Katiba ni Sasa lobby group is threatening to hold a nationwide demonstration on Tuesday this week in protest of the proposed pay hike.

Last week parliament adopted the Justice Akiwumi report which allowed them to award themselves hefty pay rises before they could agree to pay tax.

According to the report, parliamentarians will now earn in excess of 1 million shillings while paying a tax of over 200 000 shillings.

Public outrage however continues to build up following the move at a time when the economy is struggling to recover following the global economic turn down.

Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta who has already said treasury does not have enough money to cater for the pay hike may not have an easy time next week when he presents the finance bill seeking to have parliament approve expenditure of his ambitious one trillion budget which has no allocation for the pay hike.

In its opposition to the move Katiba ni Sasa lobby group is threatening now threatening mass action to compel the legislators from getting the pay hike that can only be funded through external borrowing or increased taxation.

The lobby group plans to hold a demonstration on Tuesday marching from Freedom Corner at Nairobi's Uhuru Park, through parliament and on to treasury.