Taxpayers to Bear More Burden as MPs Seek High-end Laptops

The Kenyan taxpayer is set for tough times ahead if Members of Parliament (MPs) adopt a report seeking to have the National Assembly acquire laptops for them to attend virtual meetings.

According to a report by Parliamentary Broadcasting and Library Committee, MPs have requested that they be furnished with laptops to aid them attend meetings virtually, in order to comply with the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.

Reports indicate that should the 350 MPs at the National Assembly settle on the high-end Apple MacBook Pro, the taxpayer will have to pay a whooping Sh105 million, as one MacBook Pro is estimated to cost Sh300,000.

The Sh105 million would only cater for the National Assembly, excluding the Senate which has close to 70 members.

“The committee recommends that the National Assembly should consider facilitating members of the National Assembly with laptops for the conduct of virtual meetings,” the committee’s report read in part.

According to the report, the legislators prefer using laptops as compared to iPads for their virtual meetings.

The proposal for MPs to be allocated free laptops for virtual meetings is part of technological solutions being considered by the National Assembly to ensure both chamber and committee sittings are held in accordance to Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.

The proposal comes at a time when Kenyans are already battling high costs of living occasioned by increased taxation.