Ruto to MPs: No more hotel meetings
President William Ruto has told Parliament to reduce its budget on holding meetings in hotels and Members’ offices after completion of the Sh9.6 billion Bunge Tower.
Speaking yesterday when he officially opened the 26-storey building, the President told MPs to make use of the facility and conduct their businesses there as it has been fitted with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
“Mr Speaker, I hope there will be no more requests for extra resources to travel to hotels now that we have more facilities. As you appropriate the next budget, remember Parliament does not need money to go to hotels and therefore the budget should come down,” Ruto said.
Currently, there are 66 parliamentary committees with 21 in the Senate and 45 National Assembly.
The MPs have been holding committee sittings in high-end hotels like Norfolk, Boma, Weston, Hilton Garden Inn, Windsor Golf, Ole Sereni, Eka, Panari, Tamarind, Trademark, Radisson Blu, Four Points by Sheraton, Airport and Sarova Panafric in Nairobi. Over and above the hiring of hotels, the Parliamentary Service Commission is expected to give Members allowances as per the rates given by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
A committee chairperson is entitled to Sh15,000, vice chairperson Sh12,000 and ordinary member Sh7,500.
Ruto said MPs have no one to blame but to work for Kenyans as they are now well equipped to perform their duties.
The new building, he said, is not meant to symbolise entitlement or impunity but one that MPs should use to transact business including evaluation of Government policies, making legislation as well as oversight.
World class
“From working in a world class office we expect world calls, representation and oversight. Looking at the committee space, you have no reason not to give us the best of what you can do as our legislators. I have no doubt that the quality of debate, having opened the library and each MP being allocated a team of researchers, will greatly improve,” Ruto noted.
“Parliament has the cardinal responsibility to ensure resources of the people of Kenya is not stolen, misappropriated or abused,” he added.
In his address to the legislators, Ruto noted that by allowing his Cabinet Secretaries to appear before Parliament is because he is keen to ensure his administration is held accountable for its actions.
He assured the lawmakers that all the programmes that have been passed by Parliament such as the housing programme have been actualised and started bearing fruits as over 140,000 Kenyans who were jobless are now employed in this programme.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told the legislators that they need to work for Kenyans as they now have all the necessary tools to do so. “You have everything you need, please work by serving the people who elected you,” the DP said.
Ruto’s sentiments came after National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa disclosed that Parliament has been spending Sh1.5 million daily to pay for hotels to host the Budget and Appropriations Committee which has the highest representation of 27 members.
He said the new building will enable Parliament to cut on costs as directed by Ruto.
“For a long time the Budget Committee has been forced to look for sitting spaces in hotels and we have ended up incurring a budget of Sh1.5 million daily. With this building we have saved this.”
Earlier, Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Minority Leader National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi allayed fears that the building is shrouded in corruption.
Wetang’ula said the building will go a long way in ensuring that Parliament transacts its business with ease as legislators will have adequate space.
“I want to tell the skeptics; this building is here, we will use it and serve the purpose of which it was alleged. The allocation of offices was through balloting apart from ranking members. Those who have missed out, we are going to renovate continental house.”
Wandayi allayed fears that the building is shrouded in corruption, saying during his era as Public Accounts Committee chair, there were no audit queries.
