Kenyan MPs should initiate policies to benefit the needy

NAIROBI: The Budget and Appropriations Committee was last week presented with two Bills that underscored the disparity between retrogressive and progressive philosophies. Not only did a Bill by Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi seeking to guarantee all former MPs are paid Sh100,000 in pension monthly reaffirm Kenya’s status as an unequal society, it was the biggest manifestation of short-sightedness, avarice and self-gratification.

On the other hand, Kiharu MP Kang’ata Irungu proposed an amendment to the Education Act that would ensure the government sets aside Sh30 billion annually for a school feeding programme to benefit eight million children. With the benefit of hindsight, World Food Programme in the nomadic arid and semi-arid areas of northern Kenya is responsible for sustaining children who would otherwise not have received education. Regrettably, parents from hardship areas are forced to keep their children away from school to assist in the search for food and water.