Chief Justice David Maraga has appointed a three-Judge bench to hear the case challenging the Members of Parliament Kshs 250,000 monthly house allowances. The Judges are Justice Pauline Nyamweya, Justice John Mativo and Justice Weldon Korir. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had contested the hefty allocations to MPs saying it will lead to loss of public funds, had obtained orders stopping the PSC from paying the house allowance, and the petition is set to be mentioned for further directions on July 18th. Justice Korir had directed that the case be taken to the CJ for empanelment of a bench.
MPs have come under heavy fire due to their demand for more pay and financial benefits, and the latest revelations show that the legislators have called for a review of their salaries and through the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) have called for an increase in mortgages, car grants from Kshs 5 million to Kshs 10 million, increase in plenary sitting allowance from Kshs 5,000 per session to Kshs 7,500 among other perks. The new demands can raise their salaries from a reported Kshs 1.1 million to between Kshs 2.1 million and Kshs 2.9 million per month
