A bill has been tabled in parliament to compel state (read taxpayers) to offer send-off packages to retired Vice presidents, retired prime minister, and speakers of national assembly and senate.
The bill, yet to be passed, proposes that a retired prime minister and vice president should be entitled to three personal drivers, a secretary, and a personal assistant.
On top of that, they should get a saloon car and a 4 wheel drive car when they retire.These retirement benefits (for speakers of national assembly and senate) to be considered from 1993.
Kenyans should reject this bill.A prime minister, a vice president, speakers of national assembly and senate draw hefty salaries every month.Apart from salaries, they are also entitled to hefty allowances.They get house allowance, car allowances, and many other allowances.
Why should poor taxpayers be forced to cough more to accord them a proper send-off beats the logic.By the time they finish to serve just one term in office, these people already have so much money that they should be donating to the poor.
This bill has ill motives for making the rich richer and the poor poorer.Why would someone who does not even own a motorbike be forced to give a person who owns a fleet of cars more cars.
A 4 wheel drive and a saloon car? Are these people not entitled to monetary send-offs already? When they retire, they should be thanked and wished good luck in their future endeavors.
Why should we waste more public funds to pay salaries to drivers and secretaries of public servants who have retired? This is a slap in the face to the millions of poor Kenyans who struggle to make ends meet.