The High Court last evening suspended the proposed hefty payments demanded by MPs and Senators as comepnsation before the 12th parliament is constituted by March next year.
The sacntions will remain in force pending the outcome of the petition lodged by lawyer Dismas Wambola challenging the the propsed payments and allowances.
Justice John Mativo directed Wambola to provide the petition to the Treasury Cabinet Secretary, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) , AG, National Assembly and Senate within seven days. He admitted the petition for priority hearing on February 21.
In his petition Wambola had said the Sh3.7billion that Members of the National Assembly and Senators are demanding is a fleece to the Kenyan tax payers.
The legislators want to be paid for the period between August and March 2018 when their five-year term ought to end.
But Wambola sought conservatory orders blocking the National Assembly from considering the fiscal proposal to be factored in supplementary budget estimates for debate and approval.
“The payments, if effected, shall amount to discrimination since there are many sectors of public service whose employees have been demanding well-deserved salary increments,” the lawyer said in his urgent application.
He argued that the drastic proposal by the politicians is meant to serve selfish personal interests and would amount to an unnecessary burden on Kenyan tax-payers since the economy cannot sustain sporadic raids on public fund.
“Further, they would be acting in breach of the Constitution and principles of prudent public finance management,” Wambola explained.
