Blog Archive

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Kibz gets undeserved raise!

Kibz - Kenya - GDP $12.65 Billion - Base Salary: KES 24 Million = $342,857 - GDP Per Capita (PPP) $1,200

So Kibz base salary is 286x the Per Capita GDP for Kenyans!

Bush - USA - GDP $12,470 Billion - Base Salary: KES 28 Million = $400,000 - GDP Per Capita (PPP) $42,000

Bush' base salary is 9.5x the Per Capita GDP for Americans!

So Kibz will make 86% of what the US Prez makes but the USA Prez presides over an economy that is 76600% larger than Kenya's!

Kenya's GDP is LESS than 1% of the USA's GDP... which means a 1% economic growth in the USA = entire amount of the Kenya's GDP...

WTF????


PPP Link
GDP Link
US President Salary Link
Kenya President Salary Link

Of course, the MPs will now want their salaries increased...

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like your positive thinking but i think you are comparing apples to oranges. Whereas the US is a fledging democracy Kenya is not one. In Kenya it is still all about scratch my back and i will scratch yours. I think yu need to give Kenya a few more years before making the comparison. I still agree thoug that is just selfish on the side of our politicians to have given him a raise and it sickens me to know that they are thinking of giving themselves another raise

Gathara said...

As a proportion of GDP, our MPs earn about 245 times the salary of a US Congressman. I think it is time such statistics were bandied about and the MPs forced to justify their pay.

If this were a working nation, I would call for a constitutional amendment similar to the 27th amendment to the US constitution which interposes an election before any salary awards to Congressmen takes effect.

This would mean that our MPs would be voting for salary increments that they will not enjoy unless they make it back in the next elections. However, I am not holding my breath on that.

coldtusker said...

If we don't bring these greedy politicians to heel TODAY, we will not be able to stop future looting.

Pay them well to prevent temptation for corruption but there is should a fair "spread" of public funds/expenses.

The USA was lucky it has honourable men e.g. Ben Franklin, George Washington & Thomas Jefferson. They were BRILLIANT.

George Washington refused to be crowned "King" & retired after one term. He even donated his salary.

Compared to kenyatta who stole, stole & stole more. Of course, retirement was only possible after he died!

We need to FORCE the political leadership to stop the excesses. It is incumbent upon is to make sure the next generation get better than we did.

J said...

GREED
It's all plain old GREED - and not just among most of our politicians but among a good number of us Kenyans.

How do we drive - helter skelter in a hurry to get somewhere (yet after dangerously overtaking the 'slouch' infront that seems to be in no hurry we end up just 2 seconds ahead of him).. just watch traffic on any road in Nairobi for like 2 hours - a really fascinating study of being in a hurry to go nowhere.

How do we do business - a good number of employers .. milk,squeeze every drop out of an employee while paying peanuts.. a good number of employees .. skiving job or not doing work properly and expecting to get a raise soon

How do we communicate and express our opinions...we can be very intolerant to one another, though we seem to be improving here somewhat. And we also love talking but hate doing mainly because we apparently can't plan too far ahead - or so it appears..

our political class are all about power and 'having our people eat' which is very unfortunate. That's an extremely short sighted plan of leadership

We have NO STATESMEN/WOMEN i can think of who think beyond themselves. and not $$$$$ and property.

The excuse that some people in gova were earning more than the president isn't good enough for me.

GIVE THEM A CUT.. NOT RAISE THE PRESIDENTS SALARY

Gathara said...

coldtuske,
Pay them well to prevent temptation for corruption is a recipe for disaster. If there's anything we should take away from the experience with this Parliament, it's that we cannot buy integrity. As Jesus said, whoever is faithful in a little is faithful in much. If they are corrupt when earning a pittance, it is self-deluding to think they will change when we up their salos.

Secondly, as I point out in my post, we have to look at the system we have that seems to corrupt all it touches, and lends itself to much abuse. An amendment like that I proposed would go a long way towards reducing the appetite for further wage increments.

Alternatively, put them on a PSC salary scale so when they review it for themselves, then they review it for everyone else.

Anonymous said...

What Kenya is enjoying right now is a PARLIAMENTARY DICTATORSHIP!!!

That House has no counterbalancing force whatsoever! I can't believe the formulators of our constitution mad a strategic mistake of omission in failing to foresee and prevent this.

I wrote about the possibility 10 years ago on a forum called "kenya.net" (precursor to Africa Online). Now I see it come true!

Anonymous said...

Once again the "political pundits" have outdone themselves .so kibaki got a pay raise whats the big deal the guy now earns 2million shilling+ a month and the economy is growing at 5+% . The anger is that half the population of kenya earns less than a dollar a day

i am not being insensitive. i feel for those guys but what does kibaki salary have to do with it . lets assume we can strip kibaki of his salary and distribute it to all kenyans

at 2 million shilling a month that is 24 million shillings a year
kenyans population is 32 million that means we would each get
yes a grand total of

75 cents each per year

i will not even go to divide it by month or by day . so you see when you look at the economic impact of his so called "eating" its really nothing paid or unpaid it wont increase or reduce the cost of bread in kenya. the man is doing a good job so why not pay him for his good work and motivate him to work harder .


This is a none issue .ODM is so into cheap politics its not funny.Rather than complain about the salary why not give us the magic economic formular that will take that 2 million and pay lectures ,civil servants and uplift the millions living with less than a dollar a day . that formular must be really impressive


WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MOTIVATED PRESIDENT WORKING FOR YOU OR AN EXTRA 75 CENTS A YEAR SENT TO YOUR ACCOUNT

Anonymous said...

I disagree with Coldtusker..there is no documented research that productivity is tied to pay. Give them more, they will need more. What we need it the rule of the law, that will ensure that the citizens are protected. We do not need leaders to protect us, they will only look for their own interests. Narc, LDP, Kanu, etc. They are all the same..may GOD save us!

Anonymous said...

THE PROBLEM in kenya is not one of pay or how much. its a question of value for money .

the good pay for mps and leaders is good . now we just need to get educated performers into those jobs i am sure if kenyans elected naikuni to parliament an he did his job nobody would complain .

the salaries are sawa now lets get people worth those salaries into those jobs

Baltic Amber said...

annon:

it is NOT "sawa" and I will tell you why.

Government jobs are not supposed to enrich individuals. you go into government because you want to SERVE the people and make a difference in their lives.

if these mp's want to get rich, then they should go into the for-profit private sector or they should start for-profit private businesses!

it is disgusting that mp's in kenya, a country where 60% of the population lives in abject poverty, have rewarded themselves salaries equivalent to mp's in richer, industrialized countries. remember, this money is coming from the taxpayers!

i'm not saying mp's should live like paupers, but the salaries of government officials should reflect THAT government's relative "wealth" index.

the taxpayer's are not responsible for ensuring that mp's have comfortable lives. if they want to live like kings they should go out and hustle like everyone else

kenyanentrepreneur.com

Baltic Amber said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Baltic Amber said...

to the other annon who said that kibaki's salary if removed, will only leave kenyans with 75 cents in their pockets.

that really is an idiotic argument because when you look at the COMBINED payments that are going to all these mp's, it is making a dent in the country's budgetary allocations. Kimunya himself recognized this problem when he became finance minister.

money that could be used to fund worthy causes like education or health programs is instead being used to buy luxury vehicles!

where are the priorities of these mp's? nobody is suggesting that they shouldn't be rich. just don't do it on the taxpayers dime. do it on your own dime.

Anonymous said...

healthcare and education are free how much freeer can they get . kibaki only earns 44k$ a year that is peanuts that is entry level salary in the states for a fresh graduate . yes wee need to do something about the poor man in kenya but we dont have to brin down the executive to do that .even in the private sector the MD cant earn the same as the gardener.

IF MPS DID THEIR JOB THOSE SALARIES WOULD MEAN NOTHING THE BEEF WE HAVE IS NOT SALARIES BY A PERFORMANCE ISSUE IF SAFARICOM DIRECTOS EARN 5 MILLION AND TECHNICALLY HE IS UNDER THE PRESIDENT -SAFARICOM IS PART GOV OWNED THEN I DONT SEE WHAT THE ISSUE IS

Anonymous said...

PS THAT WAY OF THINKING IS COMMUNIST THINKING PEOPLE CAN NEVER BE EQUAL .Even in th states millions of dollars are spent even given away but millions in america are hungry homeless and poor

Baltic Amber said...

annon #!:
oh god!
education and health care are "free"?! really?
do you want to amend that statement?

annon #2:
america has food banks, public housing, etc, etc..if you live in america, you never have to go without food or shelter. they are plenty of organizations that will help you out.

I'll stop now. I don't want to hog up this space.

Acolyte said...

There is no way whatsoever that salary rise can be approved. We can't tie salary to performance beause politicians have been non starters and are just paying themselves more for doing nothing.
The ratio of improvement in politicians salaries is in no way commensurate to those of politicians salaries. This is not an ODM related issue!

coldtusker said...

"Blind" anon - Ur comment below is a STUPID error after I went thru the bother of doing the math.

kibz will make a base salary of approx $342,000 a year not $44K.

kibaki only earns 44k$ a year that is peanuts that is entry level salary in the states for a fresh graduate

A fresh US grad will pay taxes. Will kibz b taxed on his salary?

I compared kibz salary to Bush... so using your argument, Bush should be paid $10 Million?

Being elected to office is NOT a measure of ability. If it were then Titus Naikuni, Manu Chandaria or Wangari Mathaai should be president.

J K said...

It's criminal to hold a party in the midst of starving folk. The argument that chaps appointed by the president earn more than him doesn't gel with me. Chop chop until below him, not continue with absurdity of paying salaries not seen even in the first world public service. On taxing these thieves, was Kimunya's 2006/7 budget proposal to tax them effected?

odegle said...

i dont have a problem with either kibakis or the MPs salaries as long as they deliver. if kibaki were to delever even 20% of what is expected of him am sure kenya could afford his salary. in fact i think we should stop complaining about the salo but rather demand servies and leadership which is grossly lacking

Gathara said...

Odegle,
The issue is not whether we can or cannot afford the salos. The question is why should we be paying them at all. Just because we can afford them doesn't mean we should be paying them.
Secondly, the money is held in trust for people of Kenya. There is a fiduciary responsibility upon Parliament to ensure it is spent in the best possible way. Surely, paying someone Kshs 3.2M for delivering on 20% of his duties is not the best possible use of our cash.

Baltic Amber said...

The issue is public service. You don't go into government to make money!! you go into government because you want to serve the public.

Kenyans seem to miss this very basic, but very fundamental issue.

it is also the reason why africa is so poor. money that is supposed to be used for development is ending up in people's private pockets.

kenyanentrepreneur.com

Gathara said...

kenyanentrepreneur,
It would be Utopian to think that people enter into government service primarily for selfless reasons (though I suspect you might have half a leg to stand on if you restricted your argument to elective positions only). The fact is we need to pay people for the services they render otherwise they go elsewhere. Just look at the outflux of doctors, teachers, nurses etc.
However, that pay needs to be reconciled with the services rendered. By all accounts, the MPs' wages do not represent value for money. Neither does the proposed pay increament for the President.

coldtusker said...

The consensus seems not to be begrudge a good salary for the President but temper it with economic reality.

KE argues about public service being about serving & not money BUT to attract the best we have to offer competitive compensation.

Let's approach this like a PRIVATE FIRM.

I think we need a FIGUREHEAD President (aka Chairman) for cutting ribbons & making speeches at the UN. An elected post with minimal admninistration responsibilities.

The Prime Minister (aka CEO) is chosen through a rigorous process that entails visionary & leadership abilities.

The Finance Minsiter (aka CFO) has to be OK'd by Parliament & the President before assuming office & controls the chequebook.

The Internal Minister (aka COO) who is the taskmaster. The rollup the sleeves guy.

All the above posts could be held by non-elected officials.
1) Let the MPs choose the PM
2) Let PM be chosen by direct vote/elections

I wouldn't mind a PM like Naikuni (yes, I like his style) with a stellar supporting cast like Adan Mohammed, Gerald Mahinda, Yash Pal Ghai & Wangari Mathaai.

If there is an executive President then it should a be a ONE-TERM president for 8 years. Why waste a full year for electon fever?

MP elections every 4 years & stagger them across the country i.e. 25% seats are contested each year thus allowing for fluid dynamics for reform.

Anonymous said...

Gathara:
It's not about mp's having to justify their pay. Again, Kenya is a poor country. It can't AFFORD to pay these massive salaries. You go into government to serve your country, not to make money. It is not the fault of poor taxpayers if previous dysfunctional governments have destroyed the private sector.

Bill clinton, a very smart and successful president never had money, but he was still attracted to public service. In America, people go into politics for power and ego, not money. the taxpayers of a very poor country should not have to foot the bill for an mp's ego tripping career choices. if their income doesn't match their ego's, that's not my problem.

Are you telling me that no one in africa has this sense of public service? Wangari Maathai didn't do what she did for money. You can attract good people without paying them exorbitantly.

KE

coldtusker said...

KE - Wangari is an exception in Kenyan politics! If not for her Nobel Prize, she would have been harassed by the government crooks.

dan toto moi mistreated her when she stood up for Uhuru Park.
Unfortunately, we have that UGLY nyayo monument in Central Park.
If kanu & moi had their way, Uhuru Park would have been subdivided & another UGLY building similar to nyayo house would have been put up...

Glad kenyatta died before he got the grand idea of having his face carved onto Mt. Kenya similar to Mt. Rushmore (which is but a glorified hill)!

Anonymous said...

CT:
Why do I think you're a luo.

wangari was harrased, but she fought on and it won her the nobel.

she is not an exception. I would put nyongo in the category of someone who believes in public service as well. and they are many others, i'm sure.

ke