Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga yesterday said government will soon introduce a system where MPs would receive allowances commensurate with the number of sessions they will have attended.
Matinenga told NewsDay the move would ensure truant MPs do not claim sitting allowances. MPs recently received $15 000 each in outstanding allowances since 2008.
“That is the position we have always taken because the $15 000 was merely a working figure and after doing proper reconciliation, MPs should get money for actual sittings or something must be deducted so that they are paid what is actually due to them,” Matinenga said.
“Payments were not made from my ministry, but this was more of a Ministry of Finance issue with the group representing legislators called Parliamentary Welfare Committee.”
The decision received mixed reaction from MPs across the political divide with others describing the move as fair, while others insisted MPs should get a “flat rate”.
“We should be paid according to our attendance in Parliament,” said Masvingo Central MP Jeffreyson Chitando (MDC-T).
“For example, I often attend sittings, but there are MPs (names supplied) who have not been attending Parliament. They were overpaid and should pay back that money.”
But chairman of the Welfare Committee for Parliamentarians, Goromonzi North MP Paddy Zhanda (Zanu PF) said he did not see anything wrong with overpayment of MPs who did not attend Parliament often.
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“I do not see anything wrong with that, but the problem is even now government is failing to pay our $75 sitting allowances per day and amounts owing are accumulating,” said Zhanda.
“MPs find themselves in an unfortunate situation, yet they are conducting business on behalf of government. They end up spending their money to service their constituencies and we should learn from how neighbouring countries treat their MPs.”
Kenyan MPs get KSh851 000 ($9 075) per month tax free, Botswana MPs earn about $25 536 per month, while Malawi MPs recently demanded to be paid $5 988 per month.
