Taxpayers fork out millions for MPs’ meetings
English Point Marina in Mombasa County. The five-star hotel is one of the most preferred points of meetings by committee members of the Senate and National Assembly.
Lawmakers held 74 committee meetings at top hotels instead of Parliament in March and April, with taxpayers settling the bills.
Apart from the sitting allowances Kenyans have to bear for the MPs, the additional costs in conference facilities bookings as well as accommodation – and sometimes air tickets – means the taxpayer has to dig deeper in their pockets to ensure smooth operations in the National Assembly and Senate.
According to an analysis by the Sunday Nation, committees of both Houses held 42 sittings at five-star top hotels in March and 32 in April.
This is an average of one and a quarter sitting in a luxurious hotel daily for 58 days.
According to the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) annual report, committees held 1,371 sittings in the 2021/22 financial year.
The report also shows that the Directorate of Committee Services facilitated 32 retreats in order to receive submissions on issues before them and hold consultative meetings with state agencies.
The hotels the MPs have held committee sittings in March and April include Norfolk, Boma, Weston, Hilton Garden Inn, Windsor Golf, Ole Sereni, Eka, Panari, Tamarind, Trademark, Radisson Blu, Four Points by Sheraton, Airport and Sarova Panafric in Nairobi.
These have become favourite spots for MPs who are booked for a few hours before rushing to the chambers in the afternoon.
English Point Marina, Pride Inn Paradise and Serena Beach hotels in Mombasa have also been utilised by the committees in recent weeks.
National Assembly Clerk, Samuel Njoroge, defended sittings outside Parliament saying rooms to accommodate the meetings are not enough.
Mr Njoroge told the Sunday Nation that the National Assembly has seven rooms against 44 committees. He added that even if only half of the committees were to meet, the rooms cannot would not be enough.
“In order for Parliament to undertake its oversight role as required by the Constitution, we have to squeeze members at hotels in the morning hours. They can then come to the chambers for sittings in the afternoon,” Mr Njoroge said.
He added that Parliament does not book members to spend nights at hotels unless under special circumstances like the committee preparing the Budget Policy Statement.
“We don’t pay for the accommodation of members while at city hotels. What we give is equivalent to the allowances they would have earned while sitting within the precincts of Parliament. There is nothing extra,” Mr Njoroge added.
He said that once the 28-storey Bunge Towers building is completed, the number of meetings at hotels would reduce significantly.
The tower will have 28 meeting rooms. Eighteen have been allocated to the National Assembly, with 10 reserved for the Senate.
Construction of the tower began 10 years ago, with the deadline for completion being pushed several times.
Due to the limited space, lawmakers at times use their dining area and media centre to meet individuals summoned.
Mr Njoroge denied reports that MPs go to Mombasa for committee meetings, insisting those are usually inspection visits which are later followed by meetings.
“Those are inspection visits upon invitation by specific entities. After the visit, the committee will definitely have a sitting,” the National Assembly Clerk said.
Three committees were in Mombasa meeting officials of various agencies on April 14.
The Health Committee had a meeting with Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha at English Point Marina.
“The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health chaired by Robert Pukose will on Friday, April 14, 2023, have a meeting with officials from the ministry...on the status of health in the country,” reads a media invite to the meeting.
Full board accommodation
At English Point Marina, full board accommodation for a day ranges from Sh46, 519 to 50,457.
With the average amount of Sh48, 488 multiplied by 21 people – 15 MPs and six members of the secretariat – the total amount paid by Parliament for day is Sh1,018,248.
This excludes allowances and travel expenses for committee members and the secretariat.
Mr Njoroge termed the budget spent by Parliament to facilitate MPs in city hotels as “modest”.
The Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities was also having a meeting with Kenya Ports Authority officials on employment and 30 per cent procurement reserved for special interest groups at Pride Inn Paradise Hotel, Shanzu.
Full accommodation at Pride Inn ranges from Sh35, 823 to Sh40,580, an average of Sh38,201.
The amount multiplied by 21 means Parliament can spend Sh801,221 on such a committee a night. Discounts can be given due the high number.
The National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee was at Serena Beach Hotel, Mombasa in a meeting with members of the Judiciary.
Though the media was initially invited, a second communication indicated that the meeting would be in-house.
MPs are entitled to allowances in committee sittings. Chairpersons get Sh15, 000 per sitting, the monthly maximum being Sh240,000.
Vice-chairpersons receive Sh12,000 a sitting, with a monthly maximum of Sh192,000.
Members of committees on the other hand are entitled to Sh7,500 per sitting, walking away with a maximum of Sh120,000 a month.
When travelling locally, MPs should fly economy class – the rates for a return trip to Mombasa with Kenya Airways averaging Sh15, 215.
Secretariat
When a committee travels for parliamentary duties, the lawmakers are usually accompanied by at least six members of the secretariat.
These are the lead clerk of the committee, legal counsel, research officer, media relation officer, sergeant-at-arms and an audio officer recording the proceeding for Hansard purposes.
These officers must be catered for in terms of accommodation, allowance and travelling.
According to an August 23, 2022 memo by Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye to the director finance and accounting services, daily allowances were revised accordingly.
Mr Nyegenye is also the Secretary of the PSC.
The memo indicated that those in Job Group U-V, including speakers, lawmakers, clerks of the Senate and National Assembly, Grades F1, F2 and E5 going to Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale and Naivasha would get Sh18,200 in daily allowances.
For Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Kakamega, Kisii, Embu, Nanyuki, Nakuru, Lodwar and Garissa the amount is Sh12, 600. For other towns, the per diem is Sh10, 500.
Those in Job Group P-R, Grade E2, E1 and D5 – among them chief sergeant-at-arms – get Sh14,000 while in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale and Naivasha.
Employees visiting Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Kakamega, Kisii, Embu, Nanyuki, Nakuru and Lodwar on assignments get Sh10,500 daily, while the amount for other towns is Sh8,400, the memo by Mr Nyegenye said.
