Slightly over a week ago, Kenyans woke up to the news that Members of the National Assembly and senators would get a pay rise in the form of revised mileage allowances.

There was muted uproar and confusion on social media platforms as some Kenyans said it was immoral and others claimed that the media had missed the point as these figures did not mean an increase but just a standardisation, and thus, it was a good move.

Muted uproar because this was a done deal that could not be reversed, and not a single public entity responded or tried to explain whether the revised mileage allowances meant that the legislators had got a pay rise.

The second group was just doing what has become fashionable for many ignorant Kenyans: attacking the media. Nowadays, it is chic for Kenyans who lack emotional intelligence to blame the media when there is an issue they do not understand or when the media report on issues that expose the vacuity of their political gods. But I digress.

As Kenyans were wondering what kind of heartless people they elected to the Parliament, I remembered that during the last elections, I urged voters in my village not to put much thought into the seats of senator, MP and the woman rep because these people will not be with them on the ground but will be busy making noises in Nairobi.

In my book, with devolution, these three positions are of no value to Kenyans at the grassroots because, as you read this, there are four constituencies without MPs, one for as long as two years – and the residents are not complaining.

Have you seen residents of Banisa, Magarini, Gwassi, and Ugunja constituencies on the streets demanding that elections be held so they can vote for an MP? Are there any services they used to receive that they are now missing?

The less said about the senator and woman rep positions the better, since voters and even some of the holders of those seats do not understand their purpose, and are just happy that they convinced voters to elect them so they can peddle influence and get easy money through corrupt deals.

The most important person, I said, is the member of the county assembly (MCA), for this is a person whose home the voters know, and they can easily confront him or her when services are not provided.

As it turns out, even MCAs do not do much, since they do not live within the community. There have been reports of MCAs who reside in towns or cities hundreds of kilometres away from their wards, and only hop in to hoodwink voters during funerals or when the governor or the President visits.

After winning elections, they become their own projects and embark on personal development – acquiring a home out of their ward, adding another spouse in case of men, furthering their studies – which is not bad, only that they ignore the needs of the voters, and that makes their moves despicable.

In the last elections, Meru County voters did not re-elect their MCAs who had enrolled for degree and doctorate studies in 2013 and 2017, and graduated while in office but still contested in 2022.

While some people might scoff at Meru voters for rejecting educated folks, they were right because these politicians made themselves the projects and most likely did not deliver on their promises.

Kenyans who contest MCA positions treat it as a stepping stone to a bigger political seat, and this calls for a rethink on this elective position, which is the base of devolution and penetrative service provision. It requires people who understand governance and will not blackmail the governor with impeachment when their private needs are not met.

This will rub many people the wrong way, but the MCA post should be reserved for those who have retired from the civil service or private sector and just want to live a quiet, fulfilling life within a community where public amenities work, and want to serve voters and not just themselves.

We should stop treating it as a position for the youth – it should be reserved for retirees who are no longer excited by new money, so to write; people without the urge to acquire and show off their new, shiny toys in faraway towns and cities; people who want to enhance services within the community where they have a home.

As we think about the calibre of people to elect as MCAs, we should not forget that the National Assembly and Senate are filled with frauds whose primary aim is to get as much taxpayer money as possible by doing the least – or even nothing – for Kenyans.

The writer is Managing Editor of the Alliance for Science (AfS). These views are solely his and do not necessary reflect People Daily’s position