SAM’S SENSE: More money for MPs, why?

In a letter dated March 20, 2025, SRC communicated to the Parliamentary Service Commission that, after consultations, they had resolved to grant every Member of Parliament some Ksh.366,011 per month as the standard mileage allowance.

Indeed, Members of Parliament need to travel to their constituencies to interact with the electorate.

Previously, MPs were allowed one return trip per week, totaling 52 per year, claimable at the rate of Ksh.152.6 per kilometre.

I will not delve into allegations of abuse of the system by some, but that plan, according to the Auditor General, cost the taxpayer Ksh.223 million in the 2023/2024 financial year.

With the new directive, the cost will surge to at least Ksh.1.8 billion annually—an increase of Ksh.1.6 billion. One would hope there were strong justifications behind such a significant jump.

In addition to the new mileage allowance and further claims for distances above 205 kilometres from Nairobi to a member's constituency, MPs will still receive a car maintenance allowance of Ksh.356,525 monthly.

Combined, that’s over Ksh.722,000 per MP for car-related expenses alone. This is on top of the Ksh.7.55 million motor vehicle reimbursement granted upon election, and access to a Ksh.8 million car loan at a 3 per cent annual interest rate.

Yes, MPs, as public servants, need to be well facilitated. But what is the acceptable cost of comfort?

In July last year, SRC froze all salary reviews for public and state officers after the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024.

A proposed review would have added just Ksh.14,000 to the salary of the least-paid MP, costing about Ksh.70 million annually for all 416 MPs—an amount deemed unaffordable then.

But now, nine months later, the same country can afford Ksh.1.8 billion for mileage allowances?

To put that in perspective: a Junior Secondary School (JSS) teacher earns around Ksh.36,000 basic pay, reaching roughly Ksh.50,000 with allowances. That Ksh.1.8 billion could pay 3,000 teachers for an entire year—meaning 3,000 schools could benefit.

A single MPs monthly mileage pay of Ksh.366,000 could fund ten JSS teachers’ monthly basic salaries. In another view, it equals nearly ten months of one teacher’s basic pay.

Even some MPs have acknowledged the insensitivity of the new allowance, given the country’s economic situation.

Some however, are less modest. They argue their high-end vehicles and "eventful" trips to the village warrant such compensation.

The Constitution mandates the SRC to ensure public compensation is fiscally sustainable when reviewing salaries and benefits.

What changed between July 2024, when SRC suspended raises, and March 2025, when it approved these allowances?

At a time when Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) have been denied salary reviews, how did SRC settle on an MP mileage allowance that is nearly four times the basic salary of an MCA?

And why hasn’t this decision been publicly gazetted beyond a letter to Parliament?

Where does transparency and fairness, as enshrined in the Constitution, make sense?

That’s my sense tonight.