Aston Lukoye
Kenyan National Assembly Majority Leader, Kimani Ichung’wah, has dismissed claims made by Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi that Members of Parliament (MPs) have not received their salaries.
Ichung’wah took to social media to criticize Wandayi and advised him to check his account or manage his debts better.
“My colleague Opiyo Wandayi claims his salary hasn’t been paid. Bro, check your account or manage your debts better,” wrote Ichung’wah on Twitter.
The Majority Leader’s comments come after Wandayi claimed that he and other MPs had not received their salaries for the month of April. Wandayi made the claims during a media briefing .
“We have not received our salaries for this month. I don’t know what is happening. I am not able to speak on behalf of my colleagues because I have not had time to talk to them,” said Wandayi.
However, Ichung’wah refuted Wandayi’s claims, stating that salaries were paid on Wednesday and Thursday. He suggested that Wandayi’s salary may have been wiped out by personal debts.
“Salaries were paid on Wednesday and Thursday, maybe yours was wiped out by personal debts like our national revenues are wiped out by that debt hole the handshake regime put us in,” said Ichung’wah.
The claims by Wandayi and subsequent response by Ichung’wah have sparked a debate on social media, with Kenyans expressing their views on the matter. Some have criticized the MPs for complaining about salaries while the country is facing various challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and rising debt.
Others have called for transparency in the payment of salaries to ensure that all MPs receive their entitlements on time. The issue of MPs’ salaries has been a contentious one in Kenya, with calls for a reduction in their salaries and allowances in the past.
