Members of Parliament and Senate are set to proceed for Easter holidays without their March 2023 salaries as pay delays rock government.
Some of the aggrieved MPs, who spoke anonymously and in confidence, said the delay was unprecedented. Usually, the lawmakers receive their salaries between 26th and 30th of every month.
This time around, the pay was yet to reflect in their accounts as of Thursday, April 6. This poses a financial setback for many lawmakers as the next possible date for them to get their salaries will be on Tuesday, April 11 following the Good Friday and Easter Monday holidays.
The MPs, who spoke to the press, said the National Treasury had cited empty coffers as the major reason for the delay. “We have reached out to our members who are in the Parliamentary Service Commission to push for the pay to be released before we go on Easter holiday,” said a senior member of the Minority side in the National Assembly.
On Wednesday, April 5, a senator jokingly told National Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u, who was appearing before the Finance and Budget Committee, that he (senator) “falls sick” when his salary delays for a few days.
Recurrent expenditure, which largely includes civil servants’ wages, usually consumes a significant amount of the revenue collected by the government monthly.
For instance, the Government of Kenya collected Ksh1.83 trillion between July 1, 2022 and February 28, 2023. Out of this, Ksh727 billion (40%) went to recurrent expenditure, while Ksh694 billion (38%) ended up in servicing the public debt.
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