Presiding and Assembly members push for increased pay

The Conference of Presiding Members has urged government to recognize their crucial role in decentralization and appreciate their contribution to the development of the country through corresponding emoluments.

According to the conference, grading of Assembly Members for the payment of Ex-gratia on the basis of Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts classification is unfair and discriminatory.

“The status quo must be revised for a flat rate to resolve the discrepancies. The Conference also recommends emolument for Assembly Members across the country and this emolument must be sourced from the Consolidated Fund rather than internally Generated Funds of the Assemblies which are usually inadequate. The Conference is also calling for rectification of flat emolument for Assembly members and Presiding Members due to differentiation in duties. We recommend that, the work of Presiding Members correspond with high emolument,” a communique issued at the end of a three-day National Conference of Presiding Members at the Institute of Local Government Studies said. The Conference further recognized the extreme difficulties Assembly Members go through in carrying out their official duties across many scattered settlements in their electoral areas during both ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ hours.

Their effectiveness, the Conference noted, has been severely hampered by lack of means of transport.

“In the light of this challenge, the Conference wishes to entreat NALAG executives and the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development to resolve all outstanding issues and immediately procure and distribute Motor Cycles to all assembly members across the country. Since the resolution for the procurement and supply of these motorbikes passed in 2015 is long overdue, all assembly members in the country are aggrieved and embittered,” the Communique noted.