Nairobi's Mercedes dealer will be expecting some commissions

With almost $10m approved by parliament for new cars, each of the 223 MPs will have more than $40,000 to spend on a vehicle of their choosing.

Critics have described the car deal as outrageous, with the new Narc government elected on a strong anti-corruption and economic revival platform.

A quick investigation by BBC News Online suggests that the kind of vehicles likely to prove popular with MPs available in Nairobi's showrooms for that sort of money are:

• Mercedes C180

• Subaru Impreza

• Land Rover Freelander

• Mitsubishi Pajero

• Suzuki Grand Vitara

Pay

Also approved during the parliamentary session on Wednesday was the budget for the MPs' new pay and allowances package.

It sees a normal MP's salary jump from about $5,000 to over $6,000 a month, including allowances, in a country where the majority of the population survive on just $1 a day.

They also come with the country's economy still struggling just four months after President Mwai Kibaki's alliance won elections.

MPs are unimpressed by the criticism

MPs argue that if they are well paid, they are not vulnerable to bribes from powerful individuals, groupings or lobbyists to influence legislation.

One of the most controversial aspects of the whole scheme is that only the first $2,600 is subject to tax.

There is widespread public disapproval of the rises, with an opinion poll conducted by the Daily Nation newspaper suggesting 85% of the public think the pay awards are unjustified.

The newspaper quotes sources as saying the finance minister was effectively "held to ransom" by MPs who had threatened to block other budgetary measures - including money for free education and for health care - unless he included their free cars in the package.

The final "mini-budget" also includes more than $47m for free primary education to cover costs until June, when the Narc government will give its first budget.

The minister intends to raise the money through substantial cuts in the previously bloated Office of the President.