Disquiet in police force over ‘favoured’ VIP bodyguards

By KIPCHUMBA SOME
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There is disquiet within the rank and file of the National Police Service over special allowances amounting to nearly Sh360 million that are paid to police officers attached to MPs, senators and Parliament police.

The Nation has learnt that the slightly more than 900 police officers are paid an allowance of between Sh30,000 and Sh42,000 every month from the Parliamentary Service Commission.

This is over and above their normal salaries which are paid by their employer, the National Police Service.

For example, in June, the officers were paid Sh29.8 million before tax, from the parliamentary account. This translates to little under Sh360 million per year.

BODYGUARDS

Most of that money is paid to the 600 bodyguards of the 349 MPs, both from the Senate and the National Assembly. Each MP has one bodyguard, but some members in the leadership of Parliament, such as the Speakers of the two Houses, have up to five bodyguards.

In June for example, the 600 bodyguards took home Sh17.6 million as “top up allowance”, alternatively indicated as “additional guard,” in the June payment schedule seen by the Nation.

Police spokesman Charles Owino, however, dismissed concerns by junior officers that the allowances are creating new disparities within the police force, which the government has been trying to address for years.

“Nobody works in parliament forever,” he said on Saturday.

“Those positions are rotational. Officers are attached to Parliament for a one term of three years only.”

He pointed out that there are officers seconded to key government installations such as the Kenya Revenue Authority, Central Bank of Kenya and the Kenya Ports Authority.

“These officers are like soldiers who go for peacekeeping missions abroad,” he said. “Why should anyone feel jealous of them if they get an opportunity to make an extra coin?”

The clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Michael Sialai disputed the figures seen by the Sunday Nation which are contained in the June payment schedule. “The top allowances ranges from Sh18,000 to Sh28,000 depending on the rank,” he said in a text message. “In total, we pay about Sh17 million per month and total per year of about Sh190 million. So it is not true we pay Sh350 million.”

SAME RATE

But a source at the Parliamentary Service Commission who spoke in confidence explained this money “is for working overtime and for risks that come with working with a VIP”.

This is despite the fact that all police officers are paid a flat rate of Sh6,000 per month for risk allowance irrespective of their ranks and stations in the country.

As such, a constable working in the harsh environment of Mandera or Lodwar is paid by their employer the same rate as his or her colleague working at their air-conditioned corridors of the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC).

We have established that an officer of the rank superintendent of police, which is the senior-most rank within the Parliament police, takes home Sh42,000 in the so-called top up allowance every month.

A chief inspector of police earns Sh38,000 while an inspector also goes home with Sh38,000. Police officers of all other lower ranks earn a flat rate of Sh30,000.

In June, the payment schedule indicates remainder of the money was shared among the AP service officers guarding KICC (Sh1.8 million), the Kenya Police officers at KICC police station (Sh1.5 million), and their counterparts from the General Service Unit (Sh1.2 million.)

Some Sh986,543 was paid for the security detail of the Speaker of the National Assembly Mr Justin Muturi and his Senate counterpart Ken Lusaka. Both have police guards at their residences.

Some Sh560,908 was paid to officers from the Rapid Deployment Unit attached to Parliament while Sh383,960 was paid for officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

SPECIAL UNIT

Police officers from the Dog Section were paid Sh235,022, while those attached to the clerk of the National Assembly Mr Michael Sialai and that of the Senate Mr Jeremiah Nyengenye were paid Sh109,312.

In addition to these benefits, Parliament police officers are provided with 10 o’clock morning tea, lunch and four o’clock evening tea for free at the cost of Parliamentary Service Commission.

In addition, the 600 police officers attached to the MPs are paid an additional Sh6,000 each as VIP allowance from their employer, the NPS. Officers from the special units, such as GSU and RDU are paid special duty allowances.

However, police officers, both from the KPS and the APS, who are stationed at KICC are not paid the VIP allowance. “This allowance thing is creating unfairness within the service,” said a senior police officer who spoke to us in confidence.

Last year the government stopped providing housing for the 98,000 police officers and instead introduced a housing allowance for them which took effect at the beginning of this year.

The bulk of police officers are constables — the lowest ranked officers. The lowest paid officer now earn Sh19, 290, following a slight pay increment in September last year.

Following the review of the house allowances, an officer of the rank of a sergeant in Nairobi earn Sh 9,800 as house allowance and an additional Sh 4,000 as commuter allowance.