Nairobi MPs seek to scrap mileage cash

MPs in Nairobi will this week present a petition to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission seeking to scrap mileage allowances for their colleagues.

The MPs, who claim they have been threatened by fellow lawmakers over the matter, are expected to hand over the petition to commission Chairperson Sarah Serem on Monday.

In a letter to Ms Serem, the MPs said unscrupulous colleagues had abused the facility.

“We have been in Parliament for the last three years and we know how it was abused,” Makadara MP Benson Mutura said on Thursday.

“Some MPs pocket more than Sh600,000 a week, which translates to Sh2.4 million per month. It’s worth noting that the same members enjoy a Sh5 million loan to buy a vehicle,” he said.

Mr Mutura said some of the MPs who claim the allowance weekly don’t travel every weekend.

MPs gets a mileage allowance of Sh366,000 per month but those who travel more than 750 km can claim extra at the rate of Sh187 per kilometre.

Claims are required to be accompanied by a log book and odometer readings for payment but this is rarely done.

Last year, Speaker Justin Muturi invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to review Parliament’s systems and recommend ways to prevent or detect fraud in the system.

More than a year later, there is no sign that the situation has been rectified.

“Most parts of the country can now be reached by air. This should be considered as you formulate a new policy to address this matter,” the MPs told Mrs Serem in the letter.

By Thursday, more than 20 MPs had signed the petition.