Raila satisfied with his salary

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said Parliament will be in breach of the law if lawmakers go ahead and increased their salaries.

Addressing journalists at his Karen home after he was discharged from hospital on Sunday, the PM said there was a clear laid down procedure on how their salaries were supposed to be reviewed, which is through an independent commission.

If the rise is passed, allowances mean they would each earn up to $126,000 (£84,000) after tax, making them among the world's best-paid politicians.

"It is unfair. It is sending very wrong signals to the people of this country," said Mr Odinga.

Mr Odinga said he was satisfied with his current salary and urged MPs to consider other priorities.

"The recommendations of the Akiwumi commission were not meant for this parliament but the future," he said.

Backdated

The report by the tribunal chaired by retired judge Akilano Akiwumi on the review of the salaries and terms of Mps, recommends that the new salaries and allowances be backdated to May 2008, the time when the Prime Minister and the two Deputy Premiers were appointed under the grand coalition government.

Under the proposed rise, the prime minister's salary would rise to $40,000 (£26,000) a month - a third more than the British prime minister earns and 10% more than the US president.

The vice president would earn Sh2,796,000, the Speaker Sh2,766,000, his deputy Sh1,841,000 and the two deputy prime ministers Sh1,891,000 each per month.

President Kibaki will on Tuesday chair a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the matter, with sources indicating they are likely to reject the pay increase.

However, the increase would not come into effect until the next parliament, by which time the post of prime minister might have been abolished if a new constitution is passed in a referendum in August.

"Without mincing words, I am totally against the idea of MPs adding salaries to themselves arbitrarily," Mr Odinga said.

The MPs' basic pay would be $44,000 (£29,000) a year.

But they also have numerous perks and allowances, including $370 (£250) a day for turning up in parliament.

Unrealistic and unsustainable

Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday last week said that the salary increment sought by the Mps had not been factored in the budget.

And speaking Monday, the Deputy Premier maintained that the new proposed salary was unrealistic and unsustainable for the government and he expects a grand battle in parliament over the matter.

However, he said the legislators must just understand that there are no funds to cater for the huge pay increments.

"I am totally against the idea of MPs increasing their salaries because this is sending wrong signals to the people of this country," he said.

Elsewhere, Cardinal John Njue has criticized the Members of Parliament for their attempt to increase their salaries, saying it was unfair and unprocedural.

While accusing the MPS of being selfish, Cardinal Njue advised them instead to think nationally of issues affecting the common wananchi especially the Internally Displace People (IDPS).

He said that it was a high time they reconsidered their position in the interest of the public.

On the proposed constitution draft, Cardinal Njue urged the church to vote NO saying the draft had contentious issues like the Kadhi's courts, abortion and homosexuality that need to be agreed upon before passing it in the referendum scheduled for August, 4 2010.

He further told them not to be swayed by the politicians who were supporting the draft saying it is recipe for chaos if it is passed as it is.