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{
    "id": 393496,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/393496/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Ongoro",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 125,
        "legal_name": "Elizabeth Ongoro Masha",
        "slug": "elizabeth-ongoro"
    },
    "content": "What is the mandate of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC)? We understand their mandate is enshrined in the Constitution and, yes, it is weighty and extensive. Yes, we also accept that this Commission is acting within its mandate. We also accept that the scope of work of this Commission actually affects all public servants and that the MCAs fall within this category. But I have issue in the attitude of the office holder; the person of Commissioner Sarah Serem. Her attitude is one of high handedness as if she is dealing with some robots somewhere. I have an issue with the manner of communicating her decision through the Press. She is communicating to elected leaders of this nation, but the manner in which she addresses and communicates to them is wanting. I have an issue in the way she conducts business of that office. The only reason why we have not had computers placed in offices where we feed in data and it gives us results, but instead we have human beings sitting and occupying offices is because the office of the kind that Sarah Serem has been bestowed with does not just need that you lead with your brains alone – maybe 90 per cent – but you should inject a bit of your heart and 10 per cent of emotions into it. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I feel that Commissioner Serem has created this stalemate. Even if she was to be firm, duly respected by these office holders, conducted her business with a lot of decorum, held very many consultative meetings with the MCAs and listened to their views, I honestly believe that she would have collected enough data to communicate and convince the Executive and would have become the bridge between the MCAs and the Executive so that we can consider what these people are requesting for. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let us take the example of Nairobi. An MCA who earns about Kshs79, 000 and, after tax, we are talking of about Kshs50, 000. Any house in Nairobi County – and I am not even talking of a house in Buru Buru or other similar areas; I am downscaling to Dandora, Kariobangi and such areas – we are talking of Kshs15,000. So, when you extract Kshs15, 000 from this Kshs50, 000, this MCA is left with Kshs35, 000. Take away his transport every day to town and back and his lunch, he is left with about Kshs20, 000. This person has got a mandate to represent the people. This person has got a wife or husband and children and other responsibilities. You expect him to sit in Committees and at forums that he is supposed to oversight an expenditure of Kshs12 billion or Kshs20 billion and to cushion officers who are earning Kshs1 million with entire The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}