Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah has urged his colleagues in both the National Assembly and the Senate to embrace the Parliamentary Pension Scheme to secure their future once they retire or lose their seats.
Speaking Friday during debate on the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill, the leader of majority supported a proposed amendment for monthly contributions to be increased saying it's commendable since it will enable legislators attain financial security upon retirement.
Ichung'wah said financial security will give the MPs a sense of self belief and they won't be scared by threats from voters to send them home at the next election.
"I know many Members of Parliament are usually threatened especially around this time, you'd be told 'utaenda nyumbani 2027' yet you go home every day,"he said.
"You go home every day, so nobody should threaten you that you will go home. The question you should ask yourself when you are here, the day you are not serving as a Member of Parliament, how shall things be for you?"
Ichung'wah said if MPs saved as much as they could during active service, threats from voters would not sent chills down their spines they would still afrord to maintain their lifestyles.
"You will go home and continue living your life as you lived when you were a Member of Parliament. Take care of your pension, contibute even to NSSF if you can contribute more because that is what will take care of you when you are not working."
Ichung'wah advised the MPs especially the youthful ones to prepare for life out of Parliament because inevitably, they eventually have to retire at some point even if they were to be re-elected over and over again.
He said many former MPs who are now elderly are under the cash transfer programme getting Sh2,500 monthly stipend, which wouldn't be the case if they had a good pension scheme.
"A time will come when you could also choose to retire, you don't have to go home because somebody threatened you or decided you are no longer useful. And when you choose, it's what you contributed to the pension that will take care of you."
The majority leader clarified that the Parliamentary Pension Scheme is not serviced by public funds but rather, it's a contributory scheme where members contribute money from their salaries.
"So nobody should start peddling rumours and propaganda out there that what we are doing is giving ourselves more money because when the public listen to anything the hear parliamentary especially when you talk about Parliamentary Pensions Scheme, they imagine Members of Parliament are getting more money.
"There's not a penny that shall come from public coffers to support this scheme," Ichung'wah said.
The Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill sponsored by MP Makali Mulu is at the second reading stage.
Ichung'wah proposed amendments to enable the pensions scheme to be elective such that MPs who fail to make it back to Parliament can continue to contribute and stand to benefit more from gratuity.
As it stands, members who leave after only one term are entitled only to what they saved during active service.
The Kikuyu MP also supported amendments for MPs to access their savings even before reaching 45 years of age as is currently required.
"The honourable Toto was elected at 24, meaning even if she is elected for three terms, she will still be below 45 years. After three terms she will have to wait for another six years to access her pension. You may fall ill or be faced withj an accident that incapacitates you and you're not able to work but you have pension that is being kept by an administrator but you cannot access it.
"You may even died before you get to 45 and you leave your money to be enjoyed by others."
Ichung'wah also proposed that they move an amendment to have the Parliamentary Pensions Scheme to be administered in Parliament by the Parliamentary Service Commission.
"They will relate better to the needs of Members of Parliament than those in the National Treasury. When you leave and you are old you find that it's your children who are now in the National Treasury, they will not care who you are."
