Lang’ata Member of Parliament (MP) Felix Odiwuor, commonly known as Jalang’o has rejected the recent salary increase approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), characterizing it as a suspicious move targeting lawmakers amidst public unrest.
The SRC’s third review cycle, implemented from July 1, 2024, included salary hikes for all state officers except the president and deputy president.
Expressing his stance, Jalang’o, declared his disinterest in the pay raise, aligning himself with numerous other legislators who have also rejected the revised salaries.
“There are things that almost look like a setup! We are in a crisis and SRC are proposing an increment of 14K! Yaani mnataka tupigwe tukufe ndio mfurahi? Mimi sitaki!,” Jalang’o expressed himself on social media.
In the new proposed salaries, which are effective July 1, 2024, members of the National Assembly and the Senate will also take Sh739,600 as gross salary, up from Sh725,502.
At the same time, Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate will each earn Ksh1,208,362 starting this month, up from their current pay of Ksh1,185,327.
Deputy Speakers will be entitled to a monthly salary of Ksh966,690 monthly, while Majority and Minority leaders in both Houses of Parliament will earn Ksh800,019.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretaries, Inspector General and Director General NIS will now earn Ksh819,844 up from a monthly salary of Ksh792,519.
In recent times, MPs have faced public criticism after a majority voted ‘YES’ to tax proposals in the 2024 Finance Bill, which sparked nationwide protests and even resulted in damage to some MPs’ businesses.
The widespread demonstrations ultimately led President William Ruto to wholly reject the Bill, sending it back to parliament.
The salary increments for legislators and state officials have sparked significant public outrage in Kenya, emerging as one of the key issues that protesters have demanded the government to address.
President Ruto had pledged austerity measures to mitigate the financial repercussions of rejecting proposals from the Finance Bill 2024.