National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to refrain from keeping the night allowances designated for their bodyguards and drivers.
Speaking during the conclusion of a leadership retreat for the National Assembly on Monday, the Speaker described the practice as damaging to their reputation and that of Parliament.
Wetang’ula emphasized that it was inappropriate for MPs, who earn over a million shillings in monthly salaries and allowances, to misuse funds intended for their staff.
“You can imagine if your bodyguard calls you a thief and says you stole his money for all the five years,” Wetang’ula stated, highlighting the potential harm such actions could inflict on both the MPs’ public image and the institution of Parliament.
Each bodyguard and driver assigned to an MP is entitled to a night allowance of Sh4,200.
This allowance is allocated when MPs travel to their constituencies or participate in official parliamentary duties during weekends.
However, the allowance was suspended earlier this year after complaints arose about its mismanagement by bodyguards and drivers.
Wetang’ula cautioned MPs against mishandling these funds.
“From what I have found out, a majority of the MPs do not want to touch that money, and I will advise you not to for the simple reason that it will create problems for you down the line,” he remarked.
The matter came to light after Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a sought clarification from Wetang’ula on who should bear the costs for drivers and bodyguards accompanying MPs to Naivasha.
In response, Wetang’ula disclosed that bodyguards and drivers had petitioned the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to ensure the allowances were paid directly to them, bypassing the MPs.
“There’s some little money paid to them so that every weekend when you go home, they are responsible for their place to sleep or to eat if they don’t eat in your house,” he explained.
Despite this, some MPs, including members of the PSC, argued that the funds should be routed through them with the expectation that they would distribute the allowances appropriately.
Wetang’ula noted that many bodyguards had expressed distrust in the current system, fearing they would not receive the money if it was given to MPs.
“These bodyguards came together and wrote to the commission, and a majority of them were saying that if my boss gets that money, I will never see it,” he added.
To address these concerns, Wetang’ula assured MPs that the PSC was working on a resolution and would soon provide clear guidelines on managing the allowances.
He also mentioned that the PSC would review and harmonize the security allocations for MPs, as disparities had been noted, with some MPs having multiple bodyguards while others were assigned only one.
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