Senate sets the tone for a new kind of politics

The worst times may bring out the best in us. Listening to the debates on the Senate floor this week has been refreshing. You had to wonder whether the contributors were the regular politicians in Kenya after all or a new species had arrived. For a start, the Senate leaders, unlike their counterparts in the National Assembly, refused to proceed with yet another recess after being on break for three weeks. They wanted to debate the state of the nation. Previously, there had been little to celebrate in the Senate.

What is wrong with Kenya is essentially her politics. Politics appears to attract the worst in our society and corrupts some of the best. It is considered the fastest path to wealth, indulgence, and influence where power is wielded with abandon.

Those in power hardly seem to consider the national agenda as opposed to the personal one. What may appear as the national agenda is usually a cover-up for the individual ego.

The force behind a road project that is considered to be of public interest may be the kickback for those running it and planning to achieve some self-aggrandisement. 

Consider the circus that impeachment proceedings against governors have been in the Senate over the years, for example. Pondering the weight of the evidence presented on the Senate floor as a predictor of the outcome is useless. The real determination of the outcome emanates from elsewhere. It is not any wonder that the public loses interest in our systems.

There has been hardly any hygiene in our politics other than dishonesty. The political class considered themselves the cleverest and reduced the business of the nation to some sort of sport. They have dragged other institutions with them, one of which, sadly, is the Church. The sum of it is that there is hardly an institution in Kenya today that carries the people’s trust. That was until recent events, when the country woke up to say enough was enough. Not much has been there to show for the taxes people pay, and yet the ruling elite wanted more. The Finance Bill 2024 was the stroke that broke the camel’s back.

Since then, the speeches on the Senate floor have been refreshing, almost a rebirth of a nation. The nominated Senator Crystal Asige stirred the floor with a passionate plea on the needs of the youth.

The senator for Homa Bay, Moses Kajwang, was no different. The list of passionate presentations has been long: Senators Catherine Muma, Okongo Omogeni, Boni Khalwale, and Godfrey Osotsi and others displayed a rare depth and selflessness in their contributions.

Even the hawks of the systems, represented by Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, sounded like the pinnacle of reason when they rose to speak. Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka Momoima’s passion was infectious. They seemed to stand for something more than just themselves for the first time. This seems to be a new Senate and, hopefully, a new breed of politics. But we have been on the wrong side of politics for too long to celebrate glimpses of hope. In any case, it is too early. MPs are out in recess, and while a few of them seem to have had moments of reflection, it still appears that for quite a number, it is a moment of retreat to regroup.

Seldom do countries get a second chance. Fate seems to bring this country close to the brink and then provide a small window of escape. The post-election violence of 2007 was one such moment. Since then, every election has appeared as a moment to build on the past. But the revolt has seldom been so collectively against the political class and the nation’s institutions as it is now.

It is time to kick off the bad habits of the past. This would help bring to a screeching halt the politics of deception, greed, and mischief and set the country on a different trajectory. The Senate is setting the tone. But it is only one institution. Hopefully, the other institutions will be deliberate in changing the course.

The writer is the Dean of Daystar University’s School of Communication