SRC under fire for scrapping off MPs allowances

Funyula Member of Parliament and Busia gubernatorial candidate, Paul Otuoma, has lashed out at the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) over what he terms as ‘making unreasonable amendments on civil servants salaries without intensive consultations’.

Mr. Otuoma, an independent candidate, who will be facing off with incumbent governor, Sospeter Ojamoong’, of ODM, now says that the move by SRC is unreasonable especially on scrapping off of MPs allowances.

The Sarah Serem-led commission on Monday, July 10 took a bold step in reducing the salaries of state officials, including abolishing the sitting and mileage allowances for MPs in a bid to reduce the unsustainable wage bill, something Otuoma says SRC did not consult with all the stakeholders concerned before making the move.

“Before even the current team of SRC personnel came into the helm, there existed a team that sat down and assessed all scenarios and saw the need for MPs to be given certain allowances. Sarah Serem and her team cannot just make amendments to the salary structure without consulting every stakeholder. Their decisions are totally unreasonable,” said Otuoma, who ditched ODM after being defeated in the primaries by Governor Ojamoong to run as an independent candidate.

Speaking in Butula on Tuesday, July 11, Otuoma faulted the SRC and to the extent other commissions in the country that he feels have not made any significant impact in ensuring good governance is achieved, yet the taxpayers’ money is used to pay its commissioners too.

However, former Chairperson of the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), Micah Cheserem, has lauded SRC’s move, but has expressed fears that MPs might oppose and change the new pay structure.

Mr. Cheserem now says that the new salary models should be strongly established in the Constitution so that Legislators will not be able to tamper with it.