Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his Nyandarua Counterpart John Methu [Samburu Development Forum/ FB]Nyandarua Senator John Methu and his Nairobi counterpart Edwin Sifuna have distanced themselves from advocating for salary increases and denied involvement in making such demands to SRC.
This comes after it emerged on Friday that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had granted all the 416 MPs and senators a fixed mileage allowance of Sh366,011 per month translating to Sh152.26 million per month or Sh1.82 billion per year.
Methu acknowledged that the commission had offered them the increase effective April 1 but said he had turned down the offer, citing that it was untimely and would weigh down on taxpayers.
“SRC has given me an increase of Sh366K starting month of April, however, I never asked for an increase from SRC. I don’t want my salary to be increased. I will be writing an official letter to that effect and I'm urging all my colleagues to do the same,” Methu said on his social media handle.
“I urge the members of the Senate and the National Assembly to reject the increase considering the President’s call to reduce the government’s expenditure. Such an increase is untimely and will just end up overburdening the taxpayers.”
While speaking during the burial of the son of Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi , Elvis Namenya, Sifuna also distanced himself from the reports and called on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang'ula to clarify the reports.
“I want you (Speaker Moses Wetang'ula) to confirm whether no Member of Parliament has requested for a salary hike; we have not asked for a pay rise. So, on such matters, we hope you will clear on them. Kazi ya SRC ni tofauti na kazi ya Bunge,” Sifuna said.
Should all Members of Parliament, including those from Nairobi who cover short distances, accept the pay rise, they will benefit from mileage allowance after the Salaries and Remuneration Commission succumbed to their demands.
