The Kenyan Parliament has on this day, Wednesday, August 5, passed an amendment to raise the monthly pension of retired Members of Parliament (MPs) who served between 1984-2001 from the current Ksh33,000 to Ksh100,000.
The amendment was very particular that only the former lawmakers within that bracket will benefit from the arrangement.
According to Suba South MP John Mbadi, most of these former civil servants are making very little and it is time the situation turned around for them.
“I want to thank the House for supporting the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill. Many of the members who served between 1983-2001 are earning peanuts and this Bill attempts to corrects that,” Mbadi stated.
As such, the beneficiaries’ pockets are expected to fatten since the payment will be backdated to July 2010.
More than 290 retired MPs are set to be credited. In cases where they happen to be deceased, their dependants are said to be entitled to just about half of the pay.
Once the President assents the bill into a law, Kenyan taxpayers will be burdened with expenses so as to cover the hiked pensions.
“Former Members of Parliament are going through many troubles and I urge the President to assent to this Bill,” stated Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed.
Should President Uhuru assent this amendment, the Parliamentary Budget Office says the cost of this pension arrangement will surge to Ksh15.075 million monthly or Ksh180.9 million a year.