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{
    "id": 1024132,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1024132/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 222,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tongaren, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Eseli Simiyu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 141,
        "legal_name": "David Eseli Simiyu",
        "slug": "david-eseli"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this chance. Before I came to Parliament, it always bothered me when I saw Ex-Members of Parliament or former Members completely unable to make ends meet and living in abject poverty. I never realised that they had no pension until I got to Parliament when I realised that the salary that people hype as being high in Parliament ends up going to social services in the constituency, including whatever else you can make. This puts our politicians in a very difficult situation. Not just Hon. Members, but even members of the county assemblies and former councillors. They are put in a very difficult situation that by the time they leave service, in fact, I dare say that many do not get back after one term mainly because by the time they go back for their campaigns, they are flat broke and they cannot make it. This contributes to the high turnover of Members of Parliament. It is shocking that Kenyans do not realise that former Hon. Members live a difficult life and they deserve pension. I have seen some comments made that I feel are a bit inhuman. Members of Parliament are also human beings. In this case, this is a contributory scheme. I believe that one will be lucky to be employed if he leaves as a young Member of Parliament and does not make it back to Parliament. Many employers do not want to employ former Members of Parliament and members of county assemblies yet people still call upon them to help. I have seen people who left Parliament and are still being called upon to attend harambees and do various things. They are still called upon to contribute and that puts them in a difficult position. This system is a contributory scheme. In the United States of America Congress, Congressmen leave with a pension after serving one term. So, it is not unique to the Kenyan Parliament. What I want to look at is how this scheme is managed. That is what bothers me. Before I came to Parliament, I had occasion to be a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi (UoN). At the time I left, my age could not allow me to be pensionable but my benefits were there. The UoN benefit scheme kept on investing that money. By the time they called me for it, to transfer it to a fund manager, it was quite substantial. But, when I look at the percentage we are contributing in Parliament of 12.5 per cent and the Government’s contribution of 25 per cent, it is a substantial pool of money. I do not think we are managing this money well to grow it. By the time you leave, your pension should be much higher than what you were told it will be. The management of that scheme needs to be relooked at. We need to invest that money, so that it grows before a Member leaves Parliament. At the time he leaves, the pension will be higher, it would have grown higher. The pensions committee needs to relook at the management of these funds to grow the money, so that people who retire get decent income in their retirement. Thank you."
}