Raila okays payment of CIC commissioners

Written By:Lillian Mwendo,    Posted: Wed, Jul 20, 2011

The row over the CIC's pay came to a close with the government agreeing to pay the amount demanded by the commissioners The government has agreed to pay commissioners of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) what it had earlier described as "exorbitant" salaries. Addressing the matter in Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Raila Odinga confirmed that the remuneration package for the commissioners had already been approved. He explained that after consultations between the Public Service Commission and Treasury, it was agreed that the commissioners deserved a special type of remuneration and in return deliver on their mandate without any delays. It has been a row between the government and the team mandated to oversee the smooth implementation of the Constitution that could have seen the process distracted even as the country rushes to enact key legislations before the next general elections. The government's decision could be seen as a move to save the situation by agreeing to pay the commissioners the salaries demanded. According to the Premier, the government had at first felt that the salaries were on the higher side and wanted them renegotiated and scaled down but the commissioners could not hear of that. Members of Parliament however could not be convinced why the commissioners were being paid that highly compared to members of any other commission and Raila had to explain on their special type of remuneration. MPs also wanted more clarification on one of the commissioner's term of office, after Kisumu town west MP Olago Aluoch expressed concern that CIC chairman was overstepping his mandate and acting like one of the Principals. Raila could not disclose how much the commissioners will be paid but earlier reports indicate that the commission had demanded 1.3 million shillings monthly salary for chairman Charles Nyachae, 1.17 million for his deputy, while the other seven commissioners would receive 1.14 million shillings each per month, backdated for seven months.