William Ruto, I feel sure, is a nice man, with robustly functional tear ducts.
However the news that 50 MPs are going to accompany our gallant leader as he attends to personal but pressingly urgent business at the Hague is not news I have received well.
50 out of 220 MPs, by the way is 22.7, % of our national assembly.
Take it away, Jackie Chan
This offends my sensibilities, and should offend yours too.
First of all, your MP is earning that big fat salary because you put him there to serve you and your constituents. He should be earning that top dollar doing his core business – representing his constituents and legislating.
Uhuru Kenyatta is on record as saying this ICC business is a personal matter. How then can 50 MPs justify taking 21 days of their employer’s time to attend to someone else’s personal matter?
Ludicrous.
The work ethic of our MPs is lackadaisical at best unless it comes to business to do with their on well being. There their enthusiasm is impressive.
This is an insult to their constituents that they are not going to go through the motions of pretending to earn their princely salaries.
Ludicrous.
Given they will be away for three weeks, I feel sure that they will not only be paid their salaries, they will also claim handsome per diems, all at the expense of you poor fools, the tax payers.
Ludicrous.
Let us crunch some numbers.
First let us round up the minimum wage to 15,000 for ease of calculations. When I say monthly wages, form here on in, I will mean this.
Let us assume, in a fit of insanity, prudence was the watch word and they tried to get the cheapest flight.
From Kayak.com, this would be Emirates, at about 126,000. This works out to the monthly pay of about 9.
Given that there are 50 MPs, this works out to a clean 6,300,000. Yes, that’s 6.3 million bob. This works out to the monthly pay of 420 people.
Now we all know the one thing our MPs cannot be accused of is modesty. These fine ladies and gentlemen will not want to rub shoulders with the unwashed masses.
A business class ticket is 294,000. This is the monthly pay of about 20.
As there are 50 MPs this works out to a clean 14,700,000. That’s 14.7 million shillings. This is the monthly pay of about 980.
So, air travel budget minimum – 14.7 million.
Let’s move on.
These fine species of leadership will require room and board.
As befitting the status they fondly imagine as deserving, it is unlikely they will accept the hospitality of Nienke’s Bed, Breakfast, Bar & Grill. They will stay somewhere more appropriate.
Let’s look for a hotel at the Hague. How about Crowne Plaza? There is a king bed, 2 bedroom non smoking suite. Perfect for a 3 week stay. That’s 350 Euro. Which is about 40,000 a night. This is the monthly pay for just under 3 people.
Given there are 50 MPs, 40,000 a night works out to 2,000,000. 2 million shillings. Given they will be staying there for 3 weeks, this works out to 42,000,000. That’s 42 million shillings. This is the monthly pay for 2,800 people.
So, accommodation – 42 million shillings.
Adding air travel of 14.7 million, we are up to 56.7 million.
Our gallant friends will no doubt claim travel per diems for entertainment and miscellaneous items.
From this article going back to 2011, the rate was revised to 1000$ a day. I cannot seem to find a more up to date rate. So let’s use that one.
1000$ @ 87 /- to the dollar over 21 days for 50 MPs tips the scale at an impressive 91,350,000. That’s 91 million bob.
Take it away, Jackie Chan
This number is so outrageous I will assume that MPs will get 100$ a day in allowances to cater for taxies and miscellaneous expenses.
So, our grand total for air travel, accommodation and allowances is 65 million bob.
That is the monthly pay for 4,300 Kenyans.
Unwisely used pissed away in a mere 3 weeks.
Ludicrous.
65 million bob can pay the minimum wage for an entire year for 360 Kenyans.
Assume 30% of all of Kenyan’s salaries is lost to income tax, VAT, excise etc.
Let me put this in perspective.
A Kenyan working minimum wage will pay 4,500 in taxes.
It therefore takes about 14,500 such Kenyans working for a month to foot this bill.
Or alternatively, it takes about 1,200 Kenyans working minimum wage working for a YEAR to foot this bill.
It takes 360 Kenyans earning 50,000 working for a YEAR to foot this bill.
It takes 180 Kenyans earning 100,000 a YEAR to foot this bill.
If you earn a million shillings a month – congratulations. It will take a year for 18 of you to foot this bill.
The CEO and CFO of Kenya airways who between them pocket 6.3 million a month – will take them just under 3 years to foot this bill.
My mind has refused to comprehend the absurdity of this situation. MPs who are meant to serve us not only absconding their duty, but wasting our money and vomiting on our shoes to boot!
Amazing!