We all seem to think that we have MPs as our representatives in the Nation Assembly, right? Wrong! some of them are said to be controlled by individuals or cartels that bankrolled their elections into parliament. Others have been compromised and cajoled by the government and interested lobby groups to vote in a way that is contrary to the expectations of majority of citizens. Yet others have come up with Bills that have been paid for, researched and written by their paymasters who may not be necessarily the public. This however is not new and is hardly the problem of third world nations but it cuts across the so called democratic world due to the venality of politicians. It could be minimized in countries where citizens are well informed and watchful but it can be harmful in countries like ours where many are ignorant, illiterate and poor.
The hot news in our country at the moment is how an alcoholic Regulations Bill (popularly known as the "Mututho Bill"), brought into parliament by Naivasha MP, John Mututho, is impacting on alcoholic beverage consumers. There have been reports in the press of how lowly and poor citizens have been arrested while drinking alcohol outside the regular hours and fined large sums of money or face long prison sentences in default. There was a particular case where some citizens were arrested at Sabina Joy Day and Night Club, a popular joint for the low income earners and ladies of the night, where a couple of then were taken to court and handed fines of nearly a million shillings! Now, we know that they will never afford those fines and the alternative is to keep them in the overcrowded jails and feed energetic young people freely without them contributing even for as little as manual labor, while many citizens out there starve to death due to the current drought in the country. This is not to defend people who break the law but we are aware that the manufactures of the lethal drinks that have killed and blinded poor citizens are never caught because of their capacity to bribe their way out. So, whereas John Mututho is being heralded as the savior of the poor youth who have fallen into the trap of adulterated drinks, I think those who supported his Bill should also have looked at the harder part, that of providing employment to those idle people. That's is the crux of the matter. A busy working person, be they young or old will find it difficult to consume alcohol during working hours, with or without the Mututho Bill!
When the MP for Imenti Central, Gitobu Imanyara, introduced a private members Bill in the National Assembly earlier on to enable the country form a local tribunal to try the post election culprits, the other MPs boycotted parliament and those present, practically laughed the poor guy out of the House. Now that six senior individuals have been named and are likely to be tried at the Hague by the International Criminal court (ICC), which they dread, this has made them look for an alternative local court for trial, we should not be surprised if the MP becomes popular with his colleagues and is invited to every corner of the country and garlanded as he presides over Harambees and other not so important private functions. This is also informed by the urgency in which he has dusted his old bill that he now wishes to re-introduce! Talk of Bills of convenience!
A local opinion poll organization, Infotrak reported that in an opinion poll it carried out recently, President Kibaki seems to score poorly as an MP. This was however quickly rebutted by his handlers at State House who disingenuously alluded that the president is a ceremonial MP is should not be rated as other MPS! Now, pray tell, how did they expect the people of Othaya to feel? Our MPs have time and time again defended their large salaries to such reasons as they use it to help the poor, attend marriage and funeral ceremonies in the village. I hope the MP for Othaya doesn't collect his MP's salary together with that of the presidency! In the same opinion poll, the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, scored highly as the MP for Langata which house the Kibera slum. So, has Odinga managed to clean up the slum and provide his constituents with decent housing overnight? You could say that's the responsibility of the government. But what role has he played over the years to remedy the situation?
The La Nina weather phenomena that was predicted by experts last year is here with us and it's reported that there has been total crop failure in many parts of the country. Livestock is reportedly dying in northern Kenya because of lack of both grazing pastures and water. What role did the MPs play to pass the relevant bills and pressurize the government to take proactive measures to mitigate against this phenomena? Some of these MPs are now at this late hour ranting and asking the government to provide famine relief! Where on earth do they expect this relief food to come from if they didn't participate in the planning and acquisition of adequate strategic stocks for the country as expected of them? We are told that countries such as Australia have national strategic food reserves that can last them up to five years! If our MPs can't help with the necessary laws to ensure that nobody suffers from hunger and malnutrition, then we need to be concerned and ask ourselves whether they really represent our interests.
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