MP JAKOYO MIDIWO DEMANDS MORE SALARY INORDER TO BE TAXED

DAILY NATION
NAIROBI, KENYA
By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU

Lawmakers want a minimum pay of Sh1.5 million before the taxman is allowed to take his cut. An MP earns a minimum of Sh851,000 every month, of which only the basic salary of Sh200,000 is taxed. Two Kenya MPs have demanded a salary increase before their pay is taxed. The lawmakers want a minimum pay of Sh1.5 million before the taxman is allowed to take his cut.

Speaking Wednesday while presenting their views to the tribunal tasked with reviewing MPs’ pay and those terms of service, Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo and his Kangundo counterpart Johnstone Muthama said that increasing the salaries was the only way to make the MPs support the tribunal’s recommendations.

The tribunal also heard that “it was only logical” that the President and the Prime Minister earn the same salaries, while the Deputy Prime Ministers and the Vice President earn similar pay.

“The National Accord is very clear, there are two principals... let’s not tribalise or politicise this matter. On principle, the two should be paid the same,” the Gem MP told the 11-member tribunal sitting at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

On the other hand, Mr Muthama asked the commission to bar the President, Prime Minister, VP, and ministers from drawing salaries as MPs, saying “they only spend government money and are paid as MPs for services they hardly render.”

The Kangundo MP asked the commission to propose job groups for the President, PM, VP and ministers to allow for effective taxation.

Mr Midiwo said given the current rate of inflation, since the last review, Sh1.5 million would be “the reasonable figure” that MPs should be taking home.

“(Justice (rtd) Majid) Cockar increased our salaries to stop ministers and MPs from harassing Asians for money every Friday,” Mr Midiwo said.

Currently, an MP earns a minimum of Sh851, 000 every month, of which only the basic salary of Sh200,000 is taxed.

The taxation issue has been in the public domain for quite some time, but surprisingly, apart from the media, there were less than 10 members of the public in the hall where the tribunal held its hearings.

Mr Midiwo termed last year's budget proposal to have MPs’ allowances taxed as “mischievous and cheap politics” meant to set the public against the National Assembly.

The tribunal is taxed with reviewing the terms of service of the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister, MPs and other parliamentary staff. It is expected to collect views from members of the public in all provinces and leaders within the next three months before compiling its report.

The last time the MPs salaries were reviewed was in 2002 by a commission led by Justice (rtd) Majid Cockar. The hearings continue on Thursday.

COMMENTS:

Submitted by rotten
Posted March 18, 2009 08:27 PM

I feel helpless and wonder how I can contribute as a Kenyan. Surely MPs should knwo representing people is not a career and they should listen to the public who basically are their employers but seem to have no say in what they are paid. Aren't they ashamed? Can they review and use the average salary in kenya as thier pay. Shame shame

Submitted by jofread
Posted March 18, 2009 08:23 PM

Don't complain. Your people have elected this greedy fools by yourself. You wanted change, this is what you got. Come 2012, than you let yourself get bribed again with empty words. Stand up and your right to live decently

Submitted by businei1900
Posted March 18, 2009 08:16 PM

Must Kenya have parliament?? arent there any forms of government whether existing or not at this time that kenyans can opt for??? THEY ARE AMAZING THESE CHARACTERS, ARENT THEY?

Submitted by karabu
Posted March 18, 2009 08:12 PM

The MPs should earn what MPs in other countries (take 10 and average) with comparable per capita income. No more! Its immoral to demand such high salaries in a poor country like ours. We should be investing in more schools and roads to lift our masses from poverty.

Submitted by Samur
Posted March 18, 2009 08:05 PM

Mps should know that our patience is running out.Kenya is a country of more than 35 Million people not 220 people.We cannot pay tax for the polti

Submitted by Thomas Kagiri
Posted March 18, 2009 08:01 PM

These are the leaders you killed for, what have they done so far, in comparing to what Kibaki did in his first term? Did you expect this? It is time to know that poor Kenyans belong to one tribe, it is a shame they kill each other every time for these kind of leaders.

Submitted by kenyamoja99
Posted March 18, 2009 07:56 PM

These are not human beings, they are vultures! They are cannibals!! How do they sleep at night? They are already paid much more than their counterparts in countries which have GDPs 400 times bigger than ours. Their salaries should be reduced to max. 100k and taxed accordingly. Kenyans do not work hard to pay entertainment allowances to vultures!

Submitted by Hillaryio
Posted March 18, 2009 07:52 PM

Now everybody wants more things. Wako wants more powers, MPs want more pay, ODM wants more powers in the coalition government. And yet no one is speaking for the ordinary Kenyans. How can someone earning a million and others millions through shoddy deals such as CDF not be embarrassed to ask for more when 10 millions Kenyans are being faced with starvation. These MPs will one day eat us alive if they run out of money!!

Submitted by Dkimanzi
Posted March 18, 2009 07:30 PM

I find this to be absurd. one of the poorest nations in the world, with one one the highest paid officials who now want more. In the "Kazi kwa vijanana" scheme no MP said that ksh250 is not enough for a hard days work, people are dying of hunger and can't even afford to buy the simplest of foodstuffs. What we need is not just new MPs, but a new way of thinking. just looking at this, 2012 will be a disaster, and 2030 is just but a sick joke.

Submitted by YusufK
Posted March 18, 2009 07:29 PM

Amazing. 5 years ago when I started working outside Kenya I met people who said they thought Kenya was a wonderful country, but the crime rate kept them off. Now the people I meet say Kenyans are good people but their politicians are the cause of the problem. But now I have realised that nothing changed; thieves and politicians are one and the same

Submitted by jangondhe
Posted March 18, 2009 07:14 PM

The plan is to load the tax liability into their current salary so that even after tax they will still take home 800k plus. Kenya has a budget deficit being being financed by debt, the MPs demand is ludicrous and must be rejected.

Submitted by InSidious
Posted March 18, 2009 06:44 PM

You are kidding right?

Submitted by newdude
Posted March 18, 2009 06:43 PM

Typical! don't these characters have any common sense? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that a pay increase totally defeats the purpose of the tax in the first place!

Submitted by asma_756
Posted March 18, 2009 06:36 PM

Oh Dear - these people are actually earning the same as European Chancellors and Prime Ministers - governments they run to for donor assistance and support during campaigns with all sorts of promises.... Kenya really hasn't any leaders....

Submitted by stevendungu
Posted March 18, 2009 06:26 PM

what? oh my! then give the 3m per month,i hope this will be enough for them.

Submitted by AnotherKenyan
Posted March 18, 2009 06:20 PM

If these MPs feel they are not earning enough, let them do the honourable thing and resign. I suspect honour is one thing they clearly lack. While 10m Kenyans are starving, these gluttons want more? Only God will bail us out of these blood sucking creatures, who're supposed to be our leaders.

Submitted by r.kariuki
Posted March 18, 2009 06:15 PM

The tribunal is only meant to buy time because kenyans gave their views on the issue. Now without shame, they want even bigger salaries and ask donors to fund the budget deficit. By the way what was the initial reason given for them not to pay taxes?

Submitted by georgeabuso
Posted March 18, 2009 06:03 PM

I only agree with the proposal that the president and prime minister earn same salary as to the Vice President and Deputy prime minister because this is a coalition govt. whereby power is shared on 50-50 basis. Everything should be shared on this basis. Otherwise mps salaries should be reduced to 500,000/= per month

Submitted by manmanu
Posted March 18, 2009 05:44 PM

Can you believe this kenyans? there should be a pay cut not pay increase this lot should be voted out 2012 seriously!

Submitted by iawe
Posted March 18, 2009 05:41 PM

Here we go again.

Submitted by maina mugweru
Posted March 18, 2009 05:35 PM

what commision sits to listen to kanyans who earn less than a dollar a day and they pay their taxes? How come our MPs are paid higher than their peers in the developed nations? could the Tribunal compare remunerations of representatives in developed world and tell kenyans what justify our MPs pay.

Submitted by Davmwash
Posted March 18, 2009 05:23 PM

Shame on you MPs!

Submitted by kenyamasai
Posted March 18, 2009 05:20 PM

where on earth is kenya ended for? Mr Midiwo is unreasonable to suggest a 1.5m figure for their monthly pay at a time when part of population is starving. This is a generall picture of the kind of leaders we have in our parliament.

Submitted by mxjnprr
Posted March 18, 2009 05:17 PM

Salaries are earned for productive work performed so that productivity or future benefits increase. What exactly do MPs do that increase national productivity? In short, do we need MPs. How much worse off would we be without MPs? Local Wazee barazas would be more representatives of wananchis needs at minimal cost compared to what these (dis)honourables demand. I weep for Kenya.

Submitted by omicahnoirere
Posted March 18, 2009 05:09 PM

This is truely annoying!The current crop of MPs deserve far much less than what they getting.All they are doing is ruigning the economy and the country by looting all they can lay their hand on.If anything their salaries should be frozen till kenya attain a GPN of 10%.