MPs are only loud on CDF, silent on killings and rape – PLO Lumumba
By Kenneth Mwenda, September 18, 2025Renowned lawyer and governance advocate PLO Lumumba has once again raised alarm over what he terms the growing culture of silence and disregard for constitutional order in Kenya.
Speaking on a local radio station on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Lumumba reminded Kenyans that the constitution was not handed down lightly, but came at the cost of lives lost and citizens jailed for speaking out.
“Our constitution was written in blood and sacrifice so that every government is checked,” he said. “Governments are instituted among men and women to serve the people, and they must be kept under constant interrogation. That is our constitutional right.”
He argued that those who continue to raise their voices against injustice do so not out of malice but patriotic duty. Citing African writers Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, he warned against the dangers of silence in the face of oppression.
“The man dies in silence who remains silent in the face of tyranny,” he said.
Lumumba criticised Parliament for failing to respond to urgent national issues. He noted that lawmakers only seem vocal when defending the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which he described as a tool for pork-barrelling.
“We now live in a country where our parliament is silent on all things except the CDF, which they want to use for purposes of pork barreling. They are silent. They are things that call for emergency.”
“People are killed in the streets, my friend Kyalo Mbobu is killed like a rat in broad daylight, and Parliament does not convene,” he lamented. “A young girl is raped in Homa Bay and acid poured on her face, yet we are told that our economy is doing well.”
Foreign firms dominate economy
He further questioned the state of Kenya’s economic independence. He pointed out that major sectors of the economy are dominated by foreign companies.
“If it is taxis, it is Uber from San Francisco and Bolt from Estonia. If it is supermarkets, it is Carrefour from France. If it is motorbike deliveries, it is Glovo from Spain. Even in security, it is firms from abroad. Where is Kenya in its own economy?”
On infrastructure, Lumumba asked why local engineers, trained since the 1960s, are unable to handle basic construction projects, with contracts instead going to foreign firms. He cited examples such as sewer systems in Nairobi and bridge construction.
Lumumba also raised concern over the electoral body’s financial struggles.
“The IEBC is telling the world it cannot run elections because it has no money. What kind of sovereignty is this?” he asked.
He concluded that the first step towards solving Kenya’s challenges is acknowledging the problems openly.
“The evidence is there. If we admitted the truth, we would work jointly,” he said.