Poor millionaire? Puzzle of MP Peter Salasya’s Sh2,364 net pay despite Sh1.1m salary
By Mwangi MuiruriMumias East MP Peter Salasya has revealed that he is a poor millionaire. Despite having a monthly gross salary of over Sh1 million, he took home a net of Sh2,364 at the beginning of July.
In a post on his Facebook page, the MP lamented that “if this is the way my payslip, is how about those of teachers, doctors…”.
Salasya’s basic salary is recorded at Sh435,301 with an additional administrative allowance of Sh140,201.
The MP also receives a house allowance of Sh150,000, a house allowance top-up of Sh67,500, an airtime top-up of Sh15,000 and a transport allowance of Sh356,525.
The allowances bring his gross salary to Sh1,164,527.
Of his salary, Sh360,466 went to Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Sh16,455 to the affordable housing levy and Sh541,947 went to his mortgage. The Staff Pension Fund deducted Sh54,847 while the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) took Sh1,700.
Car loan payment took Sh85,981, ration and mess deductions were Sh4,640 while he also gave Sh5,000 to the Kenya Young Parliament Association (KYPA) of which he is a member.
Sacco deposits took Sh10,000 from the gross salary while he parted with Sh10,000 for housing shares, Sh70,000 for Pacoso shares and Sh1,124 for life insurance.
In total, his deductions amounted to Sh1,162,162, leaving him with a net salary of Sh2,364. This raised the question of why his payslip is not subject to the Labour Act, which prohibits deductions exceeding 70 per cent of gross salary.
But according to former Parliamentary Service Commission member Irungu Kamau, MPs are not subject to the law.
“Legislators even overcommit their pay to the extent that there are those who get zero salaries. This is because State officers are not employees and therefore not subject to the Employment Act,” he said.
Francis Atwoli, the secretary-general of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu), said “legislators are not unionised and most of their welfare issues are in their own hands”.
He said parliamentarians are make laws and monitor their enforcement so “what they go through is under their control”.
“Salasya does not live like a struggling man and appears to be doing fine…payslip net is not the true measure of wealth,” Atwoli said.
In a twist, netizens told Salasya that even if he received a net salary of Sh1 billion, he would still be poor because of his flashy lifestyle.
Others urged him to explain the nature of his National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) and other devolved funds that MPs have access to, not forgetting the many earning opportunities that come with being an MP.
But a defiant Salasya hit back, saying, “I only posted about my salary… even if I have taken a mortgage, can’t I invest in a business that can give me Sh20,000 or Sh10,000 a day?”
Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu told Nairobi News that “if you keenly look at the deductions effected in Mr Salasya’s payslip, you will note that there is more than Sh500,000 that is at his disposal through deposits into savings and credit organisations”.
He said the payslip appeared to be more of a standing order, with hundreds of thousands of shillings channelled to other financial institutions and easily accessible.