Retired Speakers of the National Assembly and the Senate will henceforth enjoy hefty perks should the Finance Bill 2023 be approved by Parliament.

According to the Bill presented to legislators by the Treasury last week, former Speakers of Parliament will, during their lifetime, be entitled to a monthly pension equal to 80 per cent of their last monthly salary while in office.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), according to a gazette notice issued in 2022, currently pegs the salary of Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate at Sh1.16 million, each, inclusive of their basic pay which is set at Sh696,000 with an additional house allowance of Sh250,000 and salary market adjustment of Sh214,000, each.

This means that upon retirement, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi could be eligible for a monthly pension of approximately Sh928,000, each.

Former Speakers will also be eligible for a lump sum payment calculated as a sum to one year’s salary paid for each term served in office.

And in a move that will put them at per with other entitled persons such as retired Judges and even Deputy Presidents, they will be eligible to a four-wheel drive vehicle of an engine capacity not exceeding 3000 cc which shall be replaceable once every four years, and one saloon vehicle of an engine capacity not exceeding 2000 CC which shall also be replaceable once every four years.

The Finance Bill proposes that the Speakers will receive a fuel allowance equal to 15 per cent of the current monthly salary of the office holder- Sh174,000- will also be availed monthly.

“They will also be entitled to full medical and hospital cover, providing for local and overseas treatment, with a reputable insurance company for the entitled person’s spouse. As well as the additional benefits set out in the first schedule,” reads the Bill.

The draft law also provides for the benefits of a retired Speaker who partially serves their stipulated tenure in office.

An entitled person who is in office for less than a term, shall not be entitled to all the benefits set out above but shall be eligible for a gratuity paid at the end of their service at the rate of 31 per cent of the entitled person’s salary while in office.

They will also have access to one armed security guard who shall be provided on request by the entitled person and diplomatic passports for the entitled person and his spouse and access to the VIP lounge at all airports within Kenya.

“Where an entitled person dies in service after the commencement of this Act, a lump sum on death calculated as a sum equal to five times his annual salary shall become payable to his legal personal representatives,” further notes the Bill.

Moreover, the benefits granted to an entitled person or his or her surviving spouse shall be administered; in the case of a retired Deputy President, retired Prime Minister, or retired Vice President, by the office of the President and shall be provided for in the estimates of national government referred to in Article 221 (1) of the Constitution.

In the case of a retired Speaker of the National Assembly or the Senate, by the Parliamentary Service Commission, they shall be provided for in the estimates of the parliamentary service prepared pursuant to Article 127(6)(c) of the Constitution.

And in the case of a retired Chief Justice or retired Deputy Chief Justice, by the Judicial Service Commission and shall be provided for in the estimates of the Judiciary prepared pursuant to Article 173(3) of the Constitution.

The Speakers mandated to ensure order in the conduction of House business and that lawmakers abide by the rules and traditions. The Speakers are ex-officio Members of Parliament elected by parliamentarians. According to the Constitution, the National Assembly Speaker is the third in command after the President and his deputy. - Josphat Thiong’o, The Standard

Last week, civil society in Burundi breathed a collective sigh of relief at the announcement that five human rights defenders charged with state security crimes had been released from prison. But as is often the case in Burundi, their relief was short-lived. Four days later, an appeals court in Bujumbura confirmed the conviction of journalist Floriane Irangabiye.

Irangabiye was convicted in January on charges of criticizing the government during a radio broadcast, in defiance of her most basic media freedoms. Her conviction came less than a week after lawyer and former human rights defender Tony Germain Nkina was released following two years of unjust imprisonment.

Irangabiye was given a 10-year sentence and fined 1,000,000 Burundian Francs (US$480). Her months-long detention without charge and the prosecutor’s failure to produce credible evidence of a crime during the trial amounted to flagrant violations of Burundian and international law.

Adding insult to injury, the appeals court’s decision was announced on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, underscoring Burundian authorities’ contempt for freedom of the press.

The five rights defenders released last week were charged with rebellion and undermining state security and the functioning of public finances. The charges appeared to stem from their relationship with a foreign organization and the funding they received from it. Three were acquitted and two were convicted of rebellion, fined 50.000 Burundian Francs ($25), and handed a two-year suspended sentence. They work for some of Burundi’s few remaining human rights organizations, and their arrests sent a chilling message to the few activists who stayed in Burundi despite a brutal crackdown against civil society triggered by the country’s 2015 political crisis.

As Burundi, faced with serious economic and humanitarian challenges, is pressing international partners to restore financial assistance, it seems reckless to jeopardize the government’s relationship with donors over abusive arrests and trials of human rights defenders and journalists. Yet after repeated convictions and acquittals, it looks increasingly like they are being used as bargaining chips.

Burundi should put an end to this cynical game. The European Union, the United States, and Burundi’s other international partners should call for Irangabiye’s immediate and unconditional release. They should also make clear, through public statements and concrete demands, that their trust in Burundian authorities will only be restored once they truly respect the rights of media and civil society. - Human Rights Watch