Why Is Everyone Getting Paycuts Except Politicians?

There is a global pandemic, Kenya was already suffering a major economic recession threat way before COVID-19, massive redundancies have been making the papers for the last few months with major employers announcing huge losses, yet, the common mwananchi can still afford to pay politicians millions of shillings. How?

Just yesterday, Kenya Airways announced its top managers would be forced to take a pay cut of up to 35pc to preserve cash and cut costs amid the coronavirus outbreak that is grounding airlines across the globe.

Just to give you a hint of how bad the situation is, about 30,000 casual workers in Kenya’s flower farms have been axed in the last week and over 40,000 permanent staff asked to go home on unpaid leave due to the crisis. Tuskys has announced plans to send home employees this month, same as Standard Group Limited which just yesterday announced in a circular that over 170 employees will be shed off in a move that is aimed at cutting the companies spending.

With these heavy economic losses being experienced across various sectors of the economy, how can we still afford to pay our lazy politicians these hefty amounts? why are they not taking any pay cuts?

While other countries are announcing tax cuts and wage boosts, Kenya is doing the exact opposite, the hand to mouth mother who farms spinach and takes it to the market can not do that anymore but she is still carrying this heavy tax burden to finance bloody MCAs who are milking counties to the ground, Mpigs who have built mansions with the money supposed to be bursary for the mothers child.

Where are these politicians anyway? saw on the paper Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has offered to sponsor any person who will come up with a good song that will create awareness among the youth about the coronavirus pandemic. Is that the best they can do, make songs? We are paying them Sh3.1 billion and the best they can do is go on Twitter and tell China to forego Kenya’s debt?

The government should announce tax cuts, better yet freeze them! Strip these politicians their nonsensical allowances, cut their salaries and make life easier for Kenyans.