South Australian Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi has told a Kenyan television program that her $200,000 salary is "not a lot of money" in Australia.

Key points: SA senator Lucy Gichuhi says $200,000 salary 'not a lot of money'

SA senator Lucy Gichuhi says $200,000 salary 'not a lot of money' Repays $2,139 in travel expenses due to 'administrative error'

Repays $2,139 in travel expenses due to 'administrative error' Charges taxpayers $12,000 for trips to Sydney

The comments — made on Kenyan Citizen TV — were uploaded online earlier this year, but have just come to light.

In the video, the senator was asked about her salary.

"My salary here it is on the website, I don't look at it because it comes to the bank, but it's not a lot of money by the way," she said.

"Politicians — and I mean Australia politicians — work so hard, 24/7, nobody can compensate them for the work they do."

After being probed again, she revealed how much she is paid per year.

"Two hundred thousand Australian dollars — in a whole year that's not a lot of money," she said

"It's a reasonable pay."

The response on social media was swift, with some labelling the senator's comments "shameful" and others telling her to "get real".

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Footage emerges as other questions raised

It follows ongoing questions about her use of travel entitlements after she claimed $2,139 for two family members to travel from Darwin to Adelaide for a birthday party.

She has since repaid the money.

Senator Gichuhi entered Parliament on the Family First ticket in April last year after former Family First senator Bob Day resigned following the collapse of his home building business.

She is up against Adelaide City Councillor Alex Antic for the third spot on the Liberals' Senate ballot for the next federal election.

Speaking to ABC Radio Adelaide on Tuesday morning, Senator Gichuhi said the claim for the two relatives to fly from the Northern Territory capital and back last October for her 56th birthday party was not done "intentionally".

She said it was a matter of the expense being coded to the wrong account.

"This is the problem that happened, we were in the very early operations of our office so it was an administrative error and we fixed it," she said.

She also said $12,000 spent on travel to Sydney for various functions over the past year was justified.

Parliamentary records show she charged taxpayers for five trips to Sydney over the 14 months, some of which were with her husband.

The trips included for her to speak at the National Australia Bank's African Australian Inclusion Program, for an African Professionals in Australia gala dinner and an event held by Christian radio station Hope 103.2 with the theme "healing a divided nation".

The ABC has contacted Senator Gichuhi for comment.