Parliamentary staff miss pay for three months

By Vitalis Kimutai

Nairobi, Kenya: The standoff between the Salaries Remuneration Commission (SRC) and MPs has left parliamentary staff without salary for three months.

Parliamentary staff, like MPs, have been forced to take salary advance from the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to meet their financial needs.

A member of staff said that majority of his colleagues were finding it increasingly difficult to borrow money from colleagues and relatives adding that landlords were starting to harass them as they had exhausted deposits they had paid for their houses.

“Paying schools fees is one of the biggest headaches facing parliamentary staff who have run out of options and avenues of raising money to feed their families,” said a parliamentary employee.

He added: “MPs and parliamentary staff share the same payroll from PSC and there is no way one group can be paid before the other.

The tribulations facing MPs are the same facing us (staff),” said a parliamentary employee Monday.

He said that unless the stand-off is resolved and as long as MPs are still adamant, they would not take the Sh532,000 salary, then the problem will continue to persist.

An MP serving his first term in Parliament told The Standard Monday that like majority of his colleagues, he was still operating from a hotel in the outskirts of the City centre as he did not have money that would enable him rent a decent house.

Mr Justin Bundi, the Clerk to the National Assembly confirmed that MPs had not been paid their salaries but arrangements had been made for them to get salary advance, which would be deducted, from their accounts once the issue is resolved.