In a demonstration of commitment to the government’s austerity measures, MPs attending the East Africa Community Parliamentary Games opted to travel by rail rather than their usual air travel. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula said the lawmakers consciously decided to use the train.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, speaking at Nairobi Railway Terminus on Friday, December 6, said the move was part of Parliament’s deliberate decision to reduce unnecessary expenses and save taxpayers’ money. “We did consciously decide as Parliament that, to join the rest of Kenyans in observing the austerity measures set in place by the President, we will cut down on our costs of air travel by taking the SGR train,” Wetang’ula explained.
MPs also defended the decision, arguing that this experience helped them better understand the public’s everyday struggles. Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi stated that it was beneficial to have a feel of what MPs strive to ensure is delivered for Kenyans. “In future let MPs use some of these public facilities because we can’t build these facilities for other Kenyans while us leaders we don’t use them,” Atandi stated.
How does train travel compare to air A round-trip business class air ticket to Mombasa typically costs KSh 70,000 per MP, but the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) ticket costs only KSh 10,000. For MPs, this translated to a savings of over KSh 60,000 per person, a move that was seen as a step toward addressing the public’s concerns over government spending.
Some MPs opted for the Premium VIP Coach, which costs KSh 12,000 per person, while others chose the First Class Coach at KSh 4,500, reducing the overall travel costs even further. The total cost for the return trip for an estimated 50 MPs travelling by SGR amounted to approximately KSh 1.2 million, far less than the KSh 3 million it would have cost if they had travelled by Kenya Airways. The decision comes in the wake of public outcry over what many Kenyans perceive as wasteful expenditure by the government
by Didacus Malowa
