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{
    "id": 1514423,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1514423/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 124,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suna East, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Junet Mohamed",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "other sectors in the country, and who have been put together to help this country deal with the issue of the wage bill. I have been here since the inception of the Commission. There is a misconception that it was created to fight politicians. Somebody has misadvised and misguided them. Once they are approved by this House, you will see that their first course of action will be to wage war with Parliament. I do not know who has misadvised them. They are supposed to look at the remuneration and earnings of all sectors in the public service. It is juicy to the public when you deal with politicians. You demonise them and say that they want to earn more than they deserve. The Commission should start on a clean slate. They should look at the issue of the wage bill and remuneration of members of the public service holistically. One of the things that they are supposed to do is to harmonise the public service wage bill. When Parliament is dissolved in August 2027 for elections, you will see the Commission publishing a gazette notice stating that the salary of a Member of Parliament has been reduced to Ksh50,000. If they want to do that, let them do it now so that those who want to be Members of Parliament can decide whether or not they want to go for that job. Do not wait until Parliament is dissolved. Why should you do that mischievously? Just advertise now and state that this is the salary that is commensurate with the work of a member of parliament. Those who intend to contest for those positions in 2027 can then make up their minds early enough. There are leaders in the corporate sector who earn way more than members of parliament and who want to come to this House. However, when you issue a gazette notice after Parliament is dissolved in August 2027 and yet, they resigned in February 2027 to vie for those positions, you will be doing them an injustice. I know a Member of Parliament from Meru who was doing very well before he came here. I was with him in Mombasa for a trip and he confided in me that he used to earn way more in the private sector. He never thought that this was the kind of job that he was getting into. I told him that this job is a calling. It is a service to the public. You might not earn anything, and whatever you earn in this House belongs to the public. You have to return it in form of healthcare, education, bursaries, transport, wedding and burial expenses. None of us spends any money we earn in Parliament on his or her family or personal use. Members of Parliament contribute to a number of burials. We pay for others' healthcare, school fees, and even weddings. I have also seen cases where somebody wanting to marry goes to a Member of Parliament. It is the same for maternity cases where somebody tells you that his wife has given birth, she is in the ward, and he does not have money to pay. You have to pay since you have no choice. Sometimes, you even pay travelling expenses. Someone will tell you: “I want to go and visit my in-laws in Makueni County”. You have to pay. Those from my place especially go to that side where Hon. Mbui comes from. He tells you: “I want to go all the way to Kitui. Can you pay something?” You have to give him money so that he can go to greet them. Public service is a calling. Being a politician is not a mean job. It is a very difficult job but anybody outside it thinks it is a walk in the park. The most prestigious thing you see with a Member of Parliament is when his escort opens their door. People think it is the most important thing since it is what they see. It is a very daunting task. The job is not a joke. You have to think of your constituents and Kenyans and make sure you pass the right laws here. You have to be present when those laws are being passed. You also have to make sure that services are provided to your constituents. Then, the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) thinks that these are just a bunch of jokers who have just sat somewhere in an air-conditioned hall during an afternoon. They think we just talk and say anything we want. No. Wait until the next election arrives and every constituency has over 20 aspirants. Why are people going for it if the job is useless? Why do they not leave the ones there to continue? It shows you how important this The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}