by Stanley Azuakola

Hear the big story from Kenya today: Kenyans are angry with their parliamentarians because they took tax payers money and used it to fit the parliament with 350 plush hi-tech chairs, at the cost of 200,000 shillings/2,300 dollars/368,000 naira per chair.

This is more than the average Kenyan earns in a year (1,800 dollars/288,000 naira.)

This news does not concern us in Nigeria at all, but let’s just talk about it so that the Kenyans don’t start feeling ‘unsupported’.

By the way, a Kenyan parliamentary spokesman has defended the action in a way that will make the Okupe/Abati combo proud. He said, “The chairs have been made by prisoners, so that means that the money is going from one arm of government to another, and it will not be lost.”

Plus, the building the Kenyan parliament uses is a 1950s building, so they felt it needed to be “fitted with electronic voting systems and other gadgets that will bring Kenyan politics into the digital age.”

Well, let’s allow Kenyans sort themselves out. We have our own cross to carry: refresh your memory with this data of what our own dear “honourables” earn.

Basic Salary (BS) = N2,484,245.50

Hardship Allowance: 50% of Basic Salary = N1,242,122.75

Constituency allowance: 200% of BS  =  N4,968,509.00

Furniture Allowance: 300% of BS = N7,452,736.50

Newspaper allowance: 50% = N1,242,122.70

Wardrobe allowance: 25%   = N621,061.37

Recess Allowance: 10%       = N248,424.55

Accommodation: 200%        = N4,968,509.00

Utilities: 30%                      = N828,081.83

Domestic Staff: 35%           = N863,184.12

Entertainment: 30%            = N828,081.83

Personal Assistance: 25%   = N621,061.37

Vehicle Maintenance Allowance: 75%  = N1,863,184.12

Leave Allowance : 10% = N248,424.55

One off payments (Severance gratuity): 300%  = N7,452,736.50

Motor Vehicle Allowance: 400% of BS = N9,936,982.00

Total per month = N29,479, 749.00

A senator’s anual salary          = over N182 million

PS: (1) The above is for just one senator alone.

(2) The above is the official/legitimate ‘pocket money’. By the time we add the other spare cash they earn from Farouking, then… case closed.