Why are MPs Clueless about What the People Want?

National flag on Parliament Buildings ahead of President Uhuru Kenyatta address to the Nation at Parliament Buildings on November 12, 2020. [Stafford Ondego, Stafford]

The debt crisis, high fuel prices, and cost of living are painful for ordinary Kenyans who are seeking answers from the governing class.

Early this week, MPs from the five counties under lockdown called a presser to voice their lamentations on how wananchi had been neglected by the government. Led by Senator Susan Kihika (Nakuru), Kimani Ichung’wa (Kikuyu) and John Kiarie (Dagoreti) they urged the government to use the money set aside for the referendum to help Kenyans bear the brunt of Covid-19 pandemic, and use funds from a recent IMF loan to vaccinate many people to achieve herd immunity.