MPs during a past parliamentary session. [Photo /Mzalendo.com.]
Members of Parliament have been hit hard following the latest move by treasury to slash Ksh 9.9 billion from there rent, travel and committee allowances.
The treasury has reduced annual parliamentary budget expenditure from 21.2 billion to Ksh 17.4 billion inoder to save money for repeat presidential election and the free secondary education that will start next year January among other projects.
Parliament service commission (PSC) has opposed the move by Treasury to reduce their expenditure and has asked the special committee reviewing the budget to totally refuse it.
According to treasury, the parliaments development fund that is under the general administration has been scaled down to Ksh 737.5 million from Ksh 2.4 billion .“This will impact domestic and foreign travel, committee services, printing and advertisement the latter largely going for public participation. This will cripple House business and is as good as telling us to close shop and go home for the next nine months,” Jeremiah Nyegenye, the secretary to the PSC told the special cookie.
Nyegenye added that the slcaling down of funds for on going 26 story building that will host MP's offices will make them breach terms of agreement with the contractor and will end up stopping the construction until they get enough money from the treasury.
He alleged that the pending bills for the project stands slightly above Ksh 617 million yet the treasury has allocated them Ksh 500 million.
“If the supplementary budget is passed, the PSC will not have any option but to fall into breach of contract for non-payment of sums due to the contractor and shall furthermore have to ask the contractor to stop any further works until adequate budgetary provisions is made in the project,” Mr Sialai said.
This comes months after the Salaries and Renumeration Commission reduced the salary of the members of parliament and even abolished some allowances.