Sirisia MP John Walukhe (Sirisia) has moved a Bill that seeks to raise the pension due to former members of Parliament, who served between 1984 and 2001, to a minimum of Sh 100,000.
The Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill 2023 is in line with one of the recommendations of the Akiwumi Tribunal which was appointed in January 2009, by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) to review the terms and conditions of service for Members and employees of Parliament.
“Some former members of Parliament are languishing in poverty and there is a need to take care of their welfare,” reads part of the Bill.
The Akiwumi Tribunal submitted its report to the House on November 12, 2009. One of the recommendations by the Tribunal was that each of the 500 former MPs be paid the equivalent of 1,000 US Dollars (Sh100,000 using the exchange rate at that time), as a living pension with effect from July 1, 2010.
In his Bill, Walukhe says that the principal objective of the proposed law is to amend the Parliamentary Pensions Act, Cap 196.
As such, it proposes the amount of pension due to former members of Parliament who served between July1, 1984 and January 1, 2001 to a minimum sum of Sh100,000.
He argues that this is in line with the fact that despite serving the nation, some former members of Parliament are languishing in poverty and there is a need to take care of their welfare.
“The Bill provides for the amendment to section 8 of the Parliamentary Pension Act, Cap 196 to provide that a former MP who having served in Parliament between July, 1, 1984 and January 1, 2001 is entitled to a pension, and whose monthly pension amounts to less than one hundred thousand shall be entitled to a monthly pension of one hundred thousand shillings,” says the Sirisia MP.
Equally, the proposed Bill states that subject to the provisions of the Parliamentary Pensions Act, Cap 196, a person shall after the date of commencement thereof be entitled to receive a pension under this section as from the time when the following conditions are fulfilled in respect of him.
This will include requirements that the person has ceased to be a member of the National Assembly by reason of the dissolution of Parliament and his aggregate period of reckonable service is two terms of Parliament and he has attained the age of 45 years.
“The annual amount of pension payable to a person under this section shall be a sum equal to one three-hundredth of his pensionable emoluments for each completed month of his aggregate period of reckonable service,” the Bill states.
“But if section 8(1)(b), (ii) applies, the annual amount of pension payable shall be reduced by 5% for each complete year or part of a year in which his aggregate period of reckonable service is less than 10 years,” it adds.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@nairobilawmonthly.com, and to advertise with us, call +254715061658 anytime of the day
