Trouble is brewing within the precincts of national assembly following the recruitment of around 300 parliamentary support staff who MPs claim they don’t need. The new complementary staff members who reported to work between May and August have not been assigned any duties as the long serving staff members believe that they will be replaced.
The PSC employed officers including Clerks , Researchers , Media Relations officers, Accountants, Finance Officers, Hansard Reporters, and Security officers , all under different salary scales.
While the new officers were promptly deployed to various departments within bunge, most of them are yet to be absorbed in their respective departments especially Committees. The parliamentary clerks in charge of the committee sittings and trips have refused to accept or work with the researchers, clerk assistants, lawyers, and media relations officers out of fear of losing their jobs to them.
The Director of committees, identified as Florence Abonyo, is reported to be reluctant in helping the new officers as she is working in cohorts with the committee clerks to sabotage the new employees. The old clerks wants the new officers sacked and now they are appealing to President Uhuru to intervene and save them from the wazees.
Following the standoff, there is palpable tension within parliamentary offices with speculation that the old officers don’t also want to share the resources (allowances that come from the regular trips and workshops by the committees). Officers within the Senate have accomodated the staff recruited to support the new chamber as Senators and MPs fight over superiority.
Most of the officers believe that the ineffectiveness of the Speaker’s office might be contributing to their frustration as their complaints have never been addressed despite the Speaker Justin Muturi being properly ceased of the matter.
Now the new officers are drawing huge salaries but just hanging around the precints of parliament without proper duties assigned to them. Some MPs have been heard complaining that the presence of the idle officers within the corridors of National Assembly might contribute to insecurity of members or their properties.
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