By Stephen Makabila

By retaining his Ikolomani seat in a bruising by-election, Bonny Khalwale has emerged a rare breed, visible at the national platform and retaining a firm grip on the constituency.

Some, who attempted this delicate balancing act in the past, fell by the wayside including the once renowned people’s watchman, former fiery Butere MP Martin Shikuku.

Mr Shikuku was believed to have lost the seat for concentrating on national issues at the expense of his Butere constituents.

Others who have been unlucky in the past include Lands minister James Orengo and Senior counsel Paul Muite, who lost their Ugenya and Kabete parliamentary seats in what political observers believed was due to failure to balance national and constituency duties.

Both Orengo and Muite were at one time the key voices for the wider Kenyan society in Parliament, a scenario that saw them speak and act not for their own constituencies, but for national interests.

Locked out

For Khalwale, he has been in Parliament since his first election in 2002, save for the short stint he was locked out in the aftermath of an election petition between February and May 23.

And for all these years, there are those who believe as a medical doctor and politician, Khalwale has been guided by the Hippocratic vow that dictates he should do everything possible to save human life.

However, politically, if his performance in and out of Parliament is anything to go by, it seems the ‘bullfighter’ has always been motivated by another principle: Not to spare those suspected of involvement in corruption.

Inside Parliament, he is unequalled in the mastery of Standing Orders. He has always drove chills down the nerves of ministers whenever he is on the floor of the House.

In rural Ikolomani, Khalwale mingles with residents with ease, a contrast to most MPs.

His detractors, however, argue his has been a culture of empty words without action, and that he has no development record worth to speak about. Ikolomani is rated one of the poorest constituencies, with poor infrastructure and unemployment remaining a taint on Khalwale’s tenure.

It’s his performance in terms of the spoken word that has spread his fame beyond Kenyan borders.

According to Wikileaks, the US Embassy in Nairobi had, for example, identified Khalwale as one of its allies in Parliament for pushing the coalition to implement reforms.

Immediate former US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger had told Washington Khalwale’s "strong performance" as the chair of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee had prevented the Grand Coalition Government from being too complacent despite the absence of Official Opposition. "He has a sharp mind and smooth manner that allows him to build networks," Ranneberger said, in a diplomatic cable dated November 6, 2009.

Court ruling

Until the High Court ruling nullified his election, Khalwale was still PAC chair. And barely two days after the Ikolomani by-election date was announced by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission, two MPs visited the constituency and announced they were in solidarity with Khalwale.

Gatanga MP and Assistant minister Peter Kenneth, Lugari’s Cyrus Jirongo and former Trade minister Mukhisa Kituyi said they were supporting Khalwale’s re-election bid.

Though he is a vibrant politician by nature, it’s probably the two Censure Motions in 2008 and 2009 that boosted Khalwale’s rating.

In July 2008, Khalwale moved a Motion in Parliament that pulled Amos Kimunya from the Cabinet over the controversial sale of the Grand (Now Laico) Regency Hotel when he was the Minister for Finance.

During the debate, Khalwale is remembered for his rallying call: "To stop corruption at the Treasury, Kimunya must go; to repossess the Grand Regency, Kimunya must go; to reassure the public who were misdirected into buying Safaricom shares without adequate information, Kimunya must go!

Come February 2009, Khalwale engaged the then Agriculture minister William Ruto in a heated debate over the infamous maize scandal.

He moved a Motion of Censure against Mr Ruto claiming the then minister was at the centre of the scandal. Luckily, Ruto survived after Parliament voted against the Motion by 119 votes against 22 votes.

Khalwale has on several occasions confessed his approach to politics had earned him few friends among the political elite, but he nevertheless receives positive feedback from the public and civil society.

All said and done, Khalwale is a politician worth watching. Equally, his willingness to take on the political leadership on matters of public interest has earned him national clout.