Parliament in session. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]
Parliament has opposed a proposal to cut the refurbishment cost of MPs’ offices that has been priced at nearly Sh1 million for each member.
According to the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), it needs Sh380 million to upgrade the offices of the 416 MPs including those in the Senate, which puts the cost for each legislator at Sh913,461.
The Treasury proposal to cut the budget to Sh95 million or an average of Sh228,365 for each MP will inconvenience the lawmakers, the PSC said.
The MPs employers has called on the Parliamentary committee looking at the budget to overturn the expenditure cuts.
“If this reduction is upheld, the National Assembly will not be able to equip members’ officers. This will greatly inconvenience them and disrupt their legislative role,” noted the PSC petition.
The upgrade comes after the August 8 General Election that saw more 70 percent of MPs in the 11th House lose their seats.