Becoming a lawmaker has made me broke, Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo now says.
He added that since he was elected he has hardly bought anything.
He was speaking on NTV’s AM Live show on Tuesday during a debate on the recent outrageous moves by MPs to increase their perks.
“I have been the Ombudsman and I have also been in private practice. I have never been broke like I am now as an MP,” he remarked, adding that he earns only Sh500,000 despite not taking mortgage.
“By the time I was elected, I already had my house in Nairobi, but since I got into office I haven’t bought a house, I’ve hardly bought anything.”
He claimed that MPs use their earnings on their constituents.
The legislators receive a Sh250,000 house allowance and are seeking a “night” allowance dubbed “Domestic Subsistence Facilitation” that will see them get between Sh18,200 and Sh24,000 daily.
The visibly irritated lawyer said he has never participated in a sitting that MPs called for a pay rise as that is the work of the Parliamentary Service Committee in a bid to save the broke legislators.
The ODM MP said constant media reports that gave a blanket condemnation on MPs as being greedy were annoying and unfair.
LOANS AND DEDUCTIONS
“If you take the mortgage for Sh20 million you can’t take the car loan because the deductions on the salary are high because of the short repayment period. I’m sure there are some of my colleagues who have taken the loan and their payslip reads zero,” explained Mr Amollo.
“If you take the mortgage for Sh20 million you can’t take the car loan because the deductions on the salary are high because of the short repayment period. I’m sure there are some of my colleagues who have taken the loan and their payslip reads zero,” explained Mr Amollo.
“This is the last time I am going to talk about this,” he said.
Other panelists including Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi, Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot and former Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo also defended the move to seek more perks as former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale was opposed to it.
Senator Wamatangi revealed that he takes home only Sh640 after deductions, which he uses to improve the lives of people in his area.
“The loans MPs take are deducted from their salaries. My payslip now reads Sh640 after deductions.
“If I did not have a business, my children would live in a house but would not eat,” he said.
CELEBRITIES
Senator Cheruiyot wondered what the media gains “after bastardising parliamentarians”.
“The only figure that is in dispute right now is the house allowance. If today a government worker went to Nakuru they would be paid subsistence allowance, there is nothing that we have paid MPs that hasn’t been paid to other government employees,” said Mr Cheruiyot.
Mr Midiwo said: “The country’s high wage bill will not be resolved by taking away people’s salaries, it can be resolved by cutting the rotten meat.”
However, Dr Khalwale said come legislators live beyond their means.
“MPs have a celebrity mentality, instead of socialising in their regular joints they start going to five star restaurants,” he said.
Kenyans on social media, however, told off the legislators claiming their earnings were meagre and asked them to quit and allow others to take over.