How can someone have the discretion to pay himself ?
This money that should be allocated to science and technology is just disappearing in the hands of a bunch of crooked folks.
Big bucks hungry lawmakers are not only stealing from the people, they are also sending a wrong message.

The fleecing of Africa by african politicians.

BBC News 9 October 2012 Last updated at 09:28 ET


Angry demonstrators in Kenya have marched to parliament to protest about a huge bonus MPs have voted to award themselves.

Lawmakers in Kenya are among the highest paid MPs in Africa, receiving a salary of about $10,000 (£6,200) a month.

The bonus of more than $105,000 each is to be paid when parliament breaks up ahead of elections due in March 2013.

Analysts says tax increases are likely in order to foot the $23m bill.

'Selfish and unpatriotic'

The BBC's Frenny Jowi in the capital, Nairobi, says the revelation about the send-off bonus for the 222 MPs has angered many people, coming as it does after strikes in the public sector.

It was passed late on Thursday night as part of a last-minute amendment to the Finance Act, she says.

Monthly salary of 850,000 Kenyan shillings ($9,982), of which $2,350 is taxed
"Sitting allowance" of $25 for each appearance in parliament
Another "sitting allowance" of $25 is paid for each parliamentary committee meeting attended
Proposed bonus:

One-off bonus of more than $105,000 - to be paid at the end of the parliamentary term
Kenyan MPs get new $3,000 seats.

In September all schools were closed for three weeks and public hospitals only took emergencies as demands were made for better pay and working conditions.

According to the AFP news agency, someone earning the minimum wage in Kenya would have to work for 61 years to earn the equivalent of an MP's proposed bonus.
Continue reading @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19885962

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The Inquirer (Monrovia)

Liberia: 'Retract Your Statement'

Tagged: Governance, Liberia, West Africa
11 October 2012

The House of Representatives has issued a warning to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to immediately retract her remarks made recently in the United States that the National Legislature is concerned with self-interest and that it used the budget to promote its own interest.

President Sirleaf statement came as a result of the lawmakers allotting unto themselves in the just passed National Budget US$30,000 each to purchase utility pick-ups for their operations.

This statement did not go down well with several lawmakers because they claimed that the Liberian leader has decided to showcase to the world that they the (lawmakers) do not have the country at heart.

Continue reading @ http://allafrica.com/stories/201210111148.html

President Kibaki has declined to assent to the amendment to the Finance Bill that was passed by Parliament last week terming it unconstitutional and untenable.

It will not happen.The president is a no nonsense one.

As far as the Liberian issue goes...

#teamSirleaf

That is an honorable thing for her to put ppl on blast as the president.
They want to reconstruct the nation after a brutal 20 + years civil war, but
want to continue to rob the people? smh.

They voted her in because they felt she had some integrity and now that she is showing
some, dem dey vex? na real wa o!