Parliament is on the spot over a five-day trip by to Dubai by 16 MPs for a master class on financial management.
The lawmakers left Nairobi on Thursday for the training touted as a way to ‘hone’ their public finance management skills.
The trip to the United Arab Emirates has drawn interest owing to its timing during the Covid-19 pandemic that has taken its toll on the Exchequer.
Dubai has Covid-19 safety protocols in place.
The participants are drawn from the Finance, Budget, Public Investments, Public Accounts and Special Fund committees.
Kenyans, however, demanded answers on why the training could not have been conducted as the Kenya School of Government, or at a hotel in Nairobi, or via web-based conferencing platforms.
KSG is considered the best in East and Central Africa on teaching how to better the financial and other aspects of public service.
Local hoteliers protested the move to have MPs travel to Dubai for the training.
Kenya Tourism Federation chairman Mohamed Hersi said: I love training but when we are broke as a nation with empty Nairobi Hotels would it not have made more sense to have the trainer come to Nairobi.”
“We are busy sending out the little forex we earn to Dubai. Look at that room , nothing special . Please reject such moves,” he said.
Parliament has been under sharp criticism for unnecessary trips to foreign countries; excursions have been curtailed during the pandemic.
MPs are entitled to at least Sh98,000 per diem while return fares to Dubai in economy class cost about Sh50,000.
Business class costs about Sh126,000 on Kenya Airways – which public officers are strictly required to use for local and foreign travels.
Parliament thus will spend a minimum of Sh10 million on the trip, including five days per diem for each member and round-trip fares.
They will be taking a Master Class in Public Financial Management.
The training funded by the National Assembly is organised by a Dubai based training body called Zoe Talent Solutions.
National Assembly…