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{
    "id": 1569841,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569841/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 53,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. John Mbadi",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the question of the team that was supposed to be put together to look at the issues of former councillors, this was supposed to be Parliament- driven. I do not think we have any communication to the effect of putting our team in the team. It is something that I can follow up with the committee chairpersons. This is because I do not think we have made much progress on this. On the question that Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale asked about the policy regarding an MP who serves for two terms, then they do not win re-election, they start enjoying their pension and then they are re-elected later, it is the way the law is crafted now that once you enjoy the pension, when you come back, either you choose to pay; to buy back the pension, you continue and then when you retire, the four terms will be counted cumulatively or you forego. However, there is an amendment to that effect that is being processed, so that we can allow former MPs who served for several terms to enjoy seamlessly the pension without that kind of a challenge. The way the law is today, if you start enjoying the benefits of a pension, like myself today, if I come back again to Parliament, then I have to either buy back that period that I enjoyed the pension or forego it. That is the law as it is today. Senate Majority Leader, I agree with you that there have been challenges in terms of when pensioners leave employment and get into pension, they wait for too long to get their pension. This is because of system challenges, but there are also other issues around delayed payment of pension. Some of the challenges are with those agencies or those ministries where they are working. Processing of files becomes a challenge. The files are lost and members move from one office to the other. We have even had reported corruption cases getting into the system. That is why we want to integrate the system; we want to automate the system. When you leave the system on manual, there is bound to be abuse. That is what the Ministry is taking steps to ensure it is dealt with. The Senator for Murang’a County asked whether the abuse of Article 223 of the Constitution is the one that is denying pensioners money or the reallocation of the pension fund. I am not aware of any pension allocation that has ever been reallocated in any way. If there is any allocation that is always ring-fenced, it is the pension; it is the CFS going to the pension. That is correct. Yes, there could be abuse of Article 223 of the Constitution, which we are trying to work on. Again, you will also agree with me that, that Article was not provided in the Constitution in vain. The people of Kenya considered that there could be circumstances that would merit or warrant the provision of additional funds that were not appropriated by Parliament or the National Assembly, for that matter. So, if there are abuses, those abuses have to be dealt with. This is because it is within the powers of the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning Finance. On the issue of the Kenya Postal Corporation employees and KCC, the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) has already put staff receivers in place to work out on how to pay these creditors, which part of the creditors are former employees. The The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}