Home » Media Centre » Blogs » Salaries and Remuneration Bill
By Mzalendo Contributor - Moreen Majiwa (@mmajiwa)
There’s a joke that goes that goes the only time Parliament is ever full is when the
members are voting on their salaries. Whether or not the joke has any basis in truth it may
soon lose its relevance.
Section 230(1) of the constitution creates a Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
Section 25 of the transitional and consequential clauses in 6th Schedule of Constitution
requires that the Commission be constituted within nine months of the constitution’s
promulgation i.e. May 27th 2011.
So far the Salaries and Remuneration Bill, that establishes the Commission has been
drafted and is ready for debate by the National Assembly if the Bill sails through
parliament in the next one and half months, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission
may be the first constitutional commission established with the mandated deadline.
The Commission will be responsible for determining the salaries of the President,
Cabinet Ministers, members of parliament, members of county assemblies, county
governors, members of commissions and principal secretaries. The commission will
also establish the salaries of judges and magistrates, which will prevent executive
or Parliament from undermining judges by threatening to reduce their salaries. The
Commission will also give guidance on the remuneration of other public officials and
employees in all government departments.
Part of the Commission’s functions will be to inquire into and determine the salaries and
remuneration to be paid out of public funds to State officers and other public officers as
well as keep under review all matters relating to the salaries and remuneration of public
officers. The Commission will also be required to gives periodical reports of its activities
as well as statistical information relevant to its functions. Hopefully this will be the
beginning of increased transparency and accountability in with regards to salaries and
remuneration paid out of taxpayers’ money.
Though the Bill has not been yet enacted, nor the Commission constituted both represent
answers to the public’s demand for an independent institution that is responsible for
determining salaries of State officers; particularly for MPs who have
previously been in charge determining their own salaries and increments.
Categories: No tags
You must login to comment
There are no comments.