NAIROBI, Kenya – Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) have demanded a 700 per cent salary increase, arguing that their current remuneration does not reflect their workload.
Speaking at the 5th County Assembly Summit in Nairobi, the MCAs likened their working conditions to that of “donkeys” and insisted that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) must review their pay upwards.
Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok stated that MCAs should earn salaries equivalent to those of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Governors.
“We are currently paid Sh80,000, yet we want Sh560,000, which is what governors earn. MPs’ salaries are also at the same level as ministers,” he argued.
Busia Nominated MCA Concepta Omondi echoed this sentiment, saying, “We are paid poorly, yet we bear the burden of mwananchi.”
According to an SRC gazette notice dated August 9, 2023, the current remuneration structure for MCAs includes basic salary of Sh92,689, Sh50,000 house allowance, gross salary of Sh154,481 (after an Sh11,792 increase), and committee sitting allowance of Sh3,900 per session, capped at Sh62,400 per month
Migori County Assembly Majority Leader Jared Ouma questioned the logic behind their current salary scale, stating:
“MPs earn 35 per cent of the President’s salary, while MCAs only earn 10 per cent of what a governor makes. How do you expect oversight to be done when we are paid like cleaners?”
Beyond salary increments, MCAs also demanded full financial autonomy from county executives, arguing that their oversight role is compromised if their salaries and funding depend on the same executives they are meant to monitor.
“We cannot effectively oversee county executives if they are also the ones paying our salaries. Kindly let us be autonomous and move us to job group E1,” said Embu Nominated MCA Yvonne Mati.
Ngara MCA Chege Mwaura called for a standardized approach to salaries, adding: “We are not asking for favours, but for the same rationale used at the national level to be applied to us.”
The MCAs also pushed for the immediate implementation of the Ward Development Fund (WDF), urging lawmakers to pass the required legislation.
They argued that WDF would empower them to deliver development projects without bureaucratic delays.
