Parliament has been allocated Sh50.2 billion up from Sh38 billion allocated in the last financial year.

The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) had requested Sh46.6 billion in order to ensure the completion of development projects and implementation of essential parliamentary programmes.

The projects include the completion of the office block, completion of an integrated security management system, refurbishment of buildings and development of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies and Training (CBST).

Others are compensation of employees on account of expanded Parliament and the normal wage drift and capacity building for members and staff.

An additional Sh1 billion had been sought for automation of parliamentary processes and the development of CPST.

Parliament is expanding its workforce to cater for the increased number of MPs and the Senate. The PSC has already advertised 192 vacancies.

The PSC also asked for more funds to cater for the increased salaries for the MPs as proposed by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

The SRC on salary reviews for State officers between 2021/22 and 2022/23, proposes to increase salaries for MPs by at least 14 per cent, as well as other parliamentary officials such as Speakers and their deputies, Majority and Minority leaders.

The commission, in the proposals for salaries to state officers in the third review cycle – 2021/22 and 2022/23 – which was released on Tuesday for public participation, proposes to have MPs and senators paid Sh710,000 in monthly salary, up from the current Sh621,250.

This would mean that in total, the 410 senators and members of the National Assembly would earn Sh36.3 million more each month in the proposed structure, pushing monthly salary costs to Sh291.1 million.

With majority and minority leaders also proposing to earn Sh11,248 more monthly, Speakers Sh10,000 more and their deputies Sh8,000 more, this raises the annual wage bill for Parliament by 14 per cent from Sh3.1 billion to Sh3.58 billion.