It’s on My Hands, But It is Not My Money

Belgut Member of Parliament Nelson Koech has tried to decipher whether the Parliament failed Kenyans by passing the Finance Bill 2024 despite publicly expressing their discontent with it, pointing a finger at misinformation.

He is among MPs who voted “Yes” and he is not willing to take back his word saying that the effects of scrapping the Bill will be adversely felt in the near future.

The public has been trying to understand the stand of Parliamentarians as they voted “Yes” but still clapped when President Ruto rejected the Bill.

This confusion comes conjointly with the questions on leaders’ opulence, as several lawmakers have been captured by the public eye either holding bundles of cash, or donating astonishing amounts in churches. MP Koech falls under the former.

A photo of him gripping onto a heap of cash has been circulating through social media, stirring up conversations on whether public funds are utilized proficiently. He has, nevertheless, dismissed the claims by admitting that it was not his but rather a grand prize for the winning teams during a football tournament in Kericho County.

Koech continued to disband claims of aggrandizement in the Bicameral House saying, “Members of Parliament are living a lie, a fake life, an illusion. They are taking loans to donate in harambees so that they can be re-elected.”

However, his theory runs counter to the fact exposed by Senator Edwin Sifuna of Nairobi, who realized Ksh. 377,000 in his Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) gadget allocated for his Parliamentary car. This is an indicator of the government's expenditure problem.

He further proposed a remedy, alluding to the devaluation of political campaigns, which would abolish these leaders' entitlement to take back what is “theirs” upon ascending to power.

“We must consider demonetizing our campaigns and harambees. We must have a conversation as a country so that these politicians don’t have to go looking for money,” he concluded.