Alarm over Bill awarding hefty perks to outgoing Kisii County officials

The Law Society of Kenya South West Kenya Branch has castigated the move by the County Assembly of Kisii to pass a Bill that would award hefty perks to outgoing county government officials.

In a letter to the Kenya Law Society Chief Executive Officer, the branch chairperson, Dennis Nyatundo, said that as a branch they are alarmed by the passing of the Kisii County Retirement Benefits Bill 2016, which they say violates Article 185 of the constitution.

The chairman states that if the Bill, which was passed last week on Thursday, becomes law, an outgoing governor, deputy governor, assembly speaker, MCAs and former councilors will be entitled to “ridiculously hefty and unjustifiable perks”.

Mr Nyatundo also noted that with a looming passage of an almost similar Bill by the Natonal Assembly for a payout of upwards of Ksh100 billion to its members, the action by the Kisii County Assembly is crass and grossly intolerable.

The chairman has called on the LSK CEO to table the matter before the LSK council for appropriate and prompt action including, but not limited to, litigation.

Mr Nyatundo said a strong signal ought to be sounded to all devolved units and the twin Houses of the National Parliament to forestall a swindle of monumental proportions against the taxpayer.