Our MPs can do better

Yesterday our Members of Parliament (MPs) unanimously endorsed the Akiwumi report that recommends the increment of their salaries from the current Kshs. 851, 000 to Kshs. 1, 100, 000.

Now they are looking forward to passing three bills in a record seven days so that the increment can take effect after presidential ascent.

Whereas it is public knowledge that living standards keep rising day in day out the world over and that salaries of employees across the divide need to be increased to help them cope up with the changing times, I think it is very irresponsible of a nation to improve the remuneration of its MPs based on the fact that they need more money to give as handouts to their constituents or to contribute in harambees (public fundraisers).

As a country that has committed to achieving the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (UN MGDs), it beats logic to peg socio-economic and even political development of a people on handouts. Handouts other than being short lived and inadequate, are very subjective and difficult to account for once they have been dished out.

Talking of accountability here, am refering to a two fold approach. One, an MP with an inflated salary - a portion of which is intended for handouts to his/her constituents - may decide not to attend any harambee or dish out any money and no one will call him/her to account. Second, the handouts given to individuals or groups by an MP may easily be embezzled without anybody being called to account.

Whereas in the latter case somebody can argue that the MP gave out money but the people embzzled it, I think it is very irresponsible of our MPs to even think of increasing their "handout money" when we have a Constituency Development Fund (CDF) kitty which they would have enlarged instead.

The CDF is a well organised arrangement through which development money can be channeled and used to improve lives in the constituencies across the country. We may only need to make the CDF committees more representative and the whole process a little more consultative and we will be home and dry.

You will all agree with me that putting money intended for the masses in an individual's hand in this greedy society we find ourselves in is akin to the proverbial glutton eating from the same plate with the poor blind lad.

As a matter of fact, there is no economy worth its salt in the entire globe that has successfully thrived on handouts. I think it is past time we as a nation stopped thinking "handout economy." We are not a banana republic for Christ's sake. Or are we?