Wetang’ula blasts MPs for pocketing allowances meant for bodyguards, drivers

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has called on Members of Parliament (MPs) to stop pocketing the night allowances intended for their bodyguards and drivers, condemning the practice as harmful to both their reputations and that of Parliament.

Speaking to MPs on Monday at the conclusion of a recent leadership retreat for the National Assembly, Wetang'ula stressed that it was unbecoming for an MP who earns over a million shillings monthly in salaries and allowances to steal money intended for their bodyguards and drivers.

"You can imagine if your bodyguard calls you a thief and says you stole his money for all the five years," Wetang'ula said, pointing out the damage such actions can cause to the MPs' standing and that of Parliament.

The night allowance for each bodyguard and driver assigned to an MP is a flat rate of Sh4,200.

This allowance is provided when MPs travel to their constituencies or attend official parliamentary functions over the weekend.

However, earlier this year, the allowance was suspended following complaints of mismanagement by the bodyguards and drivers.

The Speaker warned MPs about the consequences of misappropriating the funds.

"From what I have found out, a majority of the MPs do not want to touch that money, and I will advise you not to for the simple reason that it will create problems for you down the line," Wetang'ula said.

The issue was raised when Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a asked Wetang'ula to clarify who would cover the bills for the drivers and bodyguards accompanying MPs to Naivasha.

Grievances

Wetang'ula revealed that the drivers and bodyguards had written to the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), requesting that the allowances be paid directly to them rather than through the MPs.

"There's some little money paid to them so that every weekend when you go home, they are responsible for their place to sleep or to eat if they don't eat in your house," Wetang'ula explained.

However, some MPs, including those on the PSC, had argued that the money should be given to them, with the expectation that they would pass it on to the bodyguards and drivers.

Wetang'ula highlighted that many bodyguards had expressed concerns that if the money went through the MPs, they would never see it. "These bodyguards came together and wrote to the commission, and a majority of them were saying that if my boss gets that money, I will never see it," Wetang'ula added.

MPs Wamboka Wanami (Bumula) and Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West) have also been vocal on the matter, advising their colleagues to avoid touching the funds meant for their staff.

"Please don't touch that money. Let the Clerk give it directly to them because it is giving us a bad name," Wanami said.

He urged his colleagues to speak with the bodyguards to address the issue.

MP Mwenje shared his personal experience, revealing that he had been a target of social media criticism after one of his bodyguards died by suicide.

The bodyguard's death was reportedly linked to allegations that the MP had "eaten" the money meant for the guard.

"We have to come up with a system that doesn't involve us," said Mwenje, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

In addition, Wetang'ula assured the MPs that the PSC was actively addressing the issue and would soon issue official directions on how the allowances should be managed.

He also noted that the PSC would harmonise the security details allocated to MPs, as it had come to light that some MPs were assigned multiple bodyguards, while others had only one.

MP Wamboka also weighed in on the allocation of security officers, arguing that the number of security personnel assigned to an MP should be based on the individual security needs of each representative.

"Whether an MP has two or three security officers depends on their security situation," he said.