Finance minister Njeru Githae. Photo/FILE NATION MEDIA GROUP
By CAROLINE WAFULA cwafula@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, January 10 2013 at 00:30
Posted Thursday, January 10 2013 at 00:30
Parliament on Wednesday passed two Bills approving retirement benefits for the president, deputy president and other senior state officers.
The two-the Presidential Retirement Benefits (Amendment) Bill and the Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Bill have been a subject of contention.
Amendments were introduced to the Retirement Benefits Bill for the deputy president and designated state officers to include the Director General of the National Intelligence Service, the Inspector General of the National Police Service, the Secretary to the Cabinet and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Other beneficiaries include the Prime Minister, Attorney General, Chief Justice and deputy Chief Justice, Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate and their deputies, Vice President, and Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces.
Finance Minister Njeru Githae also moved an amendment to make clear that a person who served as a Vice President or Speaker of the National Assembly as of December 27, 2010 shall also be entitled to the benefits conferred by Section 52 of the Act.
The Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) had rejected the two Bills and said it would stop Parliament from proceeding with them.
Chairman of the commission Mr Charles Nyachae said only the Salaries and Remuneration Commission has the mandate to set retirement packages for the State Officers.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission also opposed the package for the president saying it is not only fiscally unsustainable, but also unconstitutional. The commission said it was not consulted.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits (Amendment) Bill amends the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act, No. 11 of 2003 and the Minister for Finance says it takes into account the inflation trends in the computation of the benefits payable to a retired President.
It provides for the pension and other benefits that a retired President is entitled to by pegging the monthly amounts payable as housing allowance, fuel allowance, utilities allowance and entertainment allowance to a percentage of the monthly salary paid to the President.
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