- The Parliament ought to be the voice of the public in Government. It is mandated with the responsibility to manifest the diversity of a Nation, hence signifying the will of the people and exercising their sovereignty.
- Some of its members are also on the frontline, questioning the effectiveness of the house amid the huge plume of haze caused by the controversial Finance Bill 2024 war.
Is the Parliament Still Competent? What’s the Game Plan?
28 Jun, 2024 05:00 PM
The Parliament ought to be the voice of the public in Government. It is mandated with the responsibility to manifest the diversity of a Nation, hence signifying the will of the people and exercising their sovereignty.
This house’s decency was recently maimed following destruction caused by the public's invasion during the anti-tax protests on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Some of its members are also on the frontline, questioning the effectiveness of the house amid the huge plume of haze caused by the controversial Finance Bill 2024 war.
Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya perceived Parliament's ineffectiveness through a heated post on his X account. He advised the citizens to exercise their power, now that it’s in their hands. He aligned his argument with the humdrum process of attempting to impeach the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mithika Linturi, over claims connected to counterfeit fertilizer.
“The parliament had become so useless tukijaribu ata ku (when we try to) impeach Linturi with fake fertilizer, they hijack the process and wash him as clean, let the people now exercise their powers,” he indicated.
Daniel Manduku, MP Nyaribari Masaba, attributed everything that happened on Tuesday, the 25th, to the Parliament’s failure to maintain order and serve the public's interests. He suggested a solution, appealing to the President to dissolve the body and allow the people to vote in MPs afresh.
Manduku termed the house defiled and unfit for lawmakers to return for seating. He also acknowledged the absence of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which would hamper the voting process. However, he solved the query by mentioning the country being a party to many international treaties like the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU), who could oversee the polls.
The Programme Manager, Siasa Place, Ken Ogembo also voiced his concerns advising citizens to channel their dissatisfaction towards those MPs who failed to meet their expectations during the Finance Bill 2024 vote. He additionally directed Kenyans to maintain the same momentum and unity they expressed during the protests.
“I would encourage young people, if your Member of Parliament did not meet your expectation then you have the right to start the process of recall and if you do it how we did it this time round then possibly, that is going to instill discipline,” he noted.