Justina Wamae: Kenya has wrong people in Parliament
By Joel Masibo, August 20, 2025Former Roots Party 2022 presidential running mate Justina Wamae has taken a swipe at Members of Parliament, accusing them of failing to understand their constitutional role by perpetuating a culture of handouts instead of focusing on meaningful legislation.
Speaking amid Members of Parliament defending themselves against President William Ruto’s corruption accusations against the lawmakers, Wamae has criticised a section of legislators who lament that they are constantly broke because they use their salaries to give handouts to constituents. She argued that this mindset reflects misplaced priorities and a lack of vision in leadership.
“Yesterday I saw an MP complaining that they are perennially broke since they give Kenyans handouts which include money from their own salaries. Clearly, we have the wrong people in Parliament, people who don’t understand their role,” she said via her X account on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
Politics of tokenism
According to Wamae, elected leaders should not be in the business of dishing out money to the public but should instead dedicate themselves to shaping policies that empower citizens to fend for themselves.
“Instead of giving handouts to Kenyans, influence and shape legislation that gives Kenyans a conducive environment to fend for themselves. ‘Don’t give Kenyans fish; give them a conducive environment to fish,'” she added.
Her remarks come at a time when the handout culture remains a deeply rooted political tool in Kenya, with many politicians using personal donations to gain popularity and political mileage.
Wamae’s remarks come after former United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Dr Mukhisa Kituyi raised concerns over President William Ruto’s directive tasking Parliament with investigating corruption within its ranks.
A week after the President directed the Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate to spearhead the probe, Kituyi has dismissed the initiative as insincere, arguing that those entrusted with the responsibility are themselves deeply entangled in questionable practices.
“When the Speaker of the National Assembly is flying out every weekend to distribute money in the name of empowerment, who then will be held accountable?” Kituyi said on a local TV station on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, suggesting that the very institution expected to clean up corruption is compromised at its core.
Kituyi spoke moments after President Ruto on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, outlined the creation of a new Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption, which comprises 11 key agencies, under the leadership of the Executive Office of the President, with the Office of the Attorney General serving as the secretariat.