Parliament should redeem its image in last days
By Editorial.Team, May 11, 2022The 12th Parliament has treated Kenyans to the good, the bad and the ugly of Kenyan politics.
Right from the start, there were indications that it was going to be a House of cards. Members were sworn in a manner that has not been witnessed in the recent past from some members swearing allegiance to Raila Odinga to chants of tibim in the middle of the solemn vow.
Parliament was not spared the shenanigans that accompanied the January 30, 2018 swearing in ceremony of Raila Odinga at Uhuru Park and his subsequent proclamation he is the people’s president.
The performance of both the National Assembly and the Senate in spite of being legislative organs have been, largely, stooges of the Executive following the Handshake of March 9, 2018.
Members of the opposition benches gleefully voted with the government and even participated in acts that were not in tandem with opposition politics and roles. MPs were purged from committees and replaced with those who were friendly to the establishment.
Those in government vehemently opposed ideals the Jubilee Party was fronting and those in the opposition blindly embraced policies that the Orange Democratic Movement has been fighting for years.
Opinion is split on where the rain started beating the august House with some saying its leadership has been weak and others claiming its composition was not good.
Whatever the case, the House has not lived to its billing but there is room to change that perception in the next month. Parliament has resumed their last session before it is dissolved to pave way for the August 9 General Election. Passing of the Budget estimates will be among the issues on the MPs intray on their final leg in the august House.
We fully understand it will be a delicate balancing act for MPs who will be required to execute their legislative and oversight mandates even as they fight for their careers.
There is a tendency for MPs to be distracted during the last sessions and engage in acts of self-preservation at the expense of serving public interest. This is usually manifested in campaigns for increased benefits and release of devolved funds, mainly for pilferage to finance re-election.
We ask Kenyans to summon eternal vigilance and ensure MPs don’t engage in wanton plunder of public resources during their final days in the House.