Kianga to address military discontent

y Ben Agina
Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga will this morning chair the first Formation Commanders Meeting to discuss officer’s welfare and unpaid house to office allowances.
The meeting which runs until Friday will take place at the National Military Command Centre in Karen and will be attended by newly appointed Kenya Army Commander Lieutenant General Mwaniki , Maj-Gen Harold Tangai (Airforce) and Maj-Gen Samson Mwathethe (Navy).
It comes at a time when there is growing discontent among majors, captains and warrant officers who feel they have unjustly been denied allowances due to them.
Yesterday officers who sought anonymity told The Standard that majors and captains have been denied the house to office allowance and yet they are commissioned officers just like the lieutenant Colonels who currently receive monthly allowance of Shs 42,000 for vehicle maintenance.

Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga to chair Formation Commanders Meeting over officers’ welfare. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

Majors, captains and warrant officers used to get Sh9,400 monthly house to office allowance, which was stopped by the immediate former Commandant Camp Administration Unit (CAU) Colonel P Magut who has since been promoted to a Brigadier.
"The Commander in Chief (President Kibaki) should now tell us whether we are commissioned officers just like the lieutenant colonels or not. If we are commissioned then why are we not getting the allowances due to us?" posed one officer.
Improved shuttle
The officers are also complaining that since the withdrawal of the allowances, there has been no indication of how officers living in areas such as Riruta, Ruai, Dagoretti, Kiambu and Kayole would be picked from the houses to their respective places of work.
About 1,242 majors, warrants officers and captains have not been paid their house to office mileage claims amounting to Sh157 million, even after the Pay and Review Board passed the resolution in one of its sittings. In a letter to all branch chiefs DHQ/HQ Kenya Army, the then Commandant Camp Administration Unit (CAU) Colonel Magut informed all the majors and below and warrant officers that their claims for house to office allowances have been withdrawn.
Brig Magut told the officers, whose names we are in possession, that the withdrawal follows the introduction of a better-improved shuttle bus system.
"Inform all the officers of the rank of major and below and warrant officers under your branches that with effect from September 1, 2009, claims for house to office allowances were withdrawn. This follows the introduction of better improved shuttle bus system," he said.
He told the officers that arising from this new development, all branches are to co-ordinate the transport of their officers to work using their existing transport.