Dishonourable waste: MPs feast in luxury as Kenyans are punished with more taxes

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetangula. [Antony Gitonga, Standard] Amidst the broader national struggles due to an economic downturn, soaring debt and increased taxation, Members of Parliament convened for a contentious five-day retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru county. While the legislators enjoyed the well-maintained grounds of the Naivasha tourist resort, critics labelled it a "legislative holiday," and most Kenyans questioned why the retreat was not held within the parliamentary premises. At the end of the event, hoteliers, MPs, support staff and liquor joints in and around the town were literally smiling all the way to the bank, even as taxpayers dug deeper into their pockets to pay for the expenses incurred. While the event triggered public outrage over its costs, it is important to consider how such expenses could have been redirected to vital sectors such as education, especially when many Grade 10 students are yet to start classes, highlighting the opportunity cost of the retreat. "That retreat represented a squander of resources better allocated to sectors such as education, particularly when many Grade 10 students are yet to start classes," stated Dan Murugu, a civil rights activist based in Nakuru. Murugu further expressed that the public perception of the event was more troubling: "The entire 13th Parliament gathered at a luxurious resort for the five-day retreat. They claimed the agenda involved managing House business and reviewing the legislative scorecard. However, the timing, costs and increasing perception of Parliament merely rubber-stamping executive decisions have turned this retreat into a catalyst for public discontent," he explained. He asked, "Why must 'securing a legacy' cost so much, while ordinary citizens struggle to put food on the table?" Joseph Omondi, the Executive Director of Midrift Hurinet, an NGO focused on governance and accountability, analysed the retreat's logistics and revealed a substantial expense. "With over 400 legislators, support staff and security personnel attending, the daily expenditure on accommodation, conference facilities and per diems is estimated to reach tens of millions of shillings. This expenditure is especially not worthy given the Treasury's current austerity policies," Omondi observed. "The venue, a high-end hotel along Lake Naivasha renowned for its serenity and exclusivity, commands high prices. Additionally, MPs are entitled to substantial per diems for activities outside Nairobi, further inflating the costs," he added. While Speaker Moses Wetang'ula defended the gathering as a constitutional necessity for setting priorities for the upcoming Fourth Session, critics are calling for greater transparency on how the retreat was planned and approved, to ensure it aligns with public expectations for accountability. The criticism of Parliament's performance points to its failure to effectively oversee government actions, as reports from Auditor General Nancy Gathungu and civil society critics suggest a legislature that has abdicated its oversight responsibilities, raising questions about legislative accountability. Rubber stamp Masese Kemunche, Programmes Manager at the Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance (CEDGG), stated that the perception of Parliament as merely a "rubber stamp" is now an open declaration rather than a whisper among insiders. Insider reports from a closed-door session indicated heated debates about the Executive's dominance over Parliament. A Member of Parliament from Mt Kenya expressed concerns about manipulation by the Executive, stating, "We are being manipulated by the Executive. In 2024, we passed the Finance Bill, but it was later vetoed by the Executive. We overlook appointments and voters are increasingly disillusioned with us," said the legislator. Contrastingly, Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui regarded the retreat as a vital platform for reflection and legislative alignment. "It offered a dedicated, informal setting for Members of Parliament to evaluate national issues and build consensus on upcoming legislative initiatives," he remarked, encouraging citizens to see Parliament as a space for positive change. During the retreat, discussions encompassed imminent reforms in the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system and the rollout of health sector reforms, including the Social Health Authority and the Social Health Insurance Fund. The legislators expressed concerns over the Ministry of Education's failure to implement the new education system, criticising Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and Principal Secretary Julius Bitok for the current Grade 10 transition crisis, urging the public to demand accountability. Nyatike MP Tom Odege dismissed the CS report that the government had released 50 per cent capitation, noting that this was not the issue on the ground. He added that placement of students in Grade 10 was shrouded in confusion and anarchy, with some schools overwhelmed by admission and others without students. "We want the CS to list schools that will benefit from new laboratories and we are concerned about donor funding going to two counties of Nyamira and Kisii only," he said. Nyeri Woman Rep Rahab Mukami said the transition rate in her county remained at around 45 per cent despite the government directive to chiefs and heads of schools. She noted that gains made in the education sector for years could be eroded by bad leadership in the Ministry despite concerted efforts by leaders to address the challenges. "All these bursaries in counties and MPs' kitties should be taken to one basket and distributed at the national level as currently many deserving cases are missing out," she said. Electoral preparations Notably, the agenda also prioritised preparation for the 2027 General Election. Officially termed "electoral preparedness," the preparations are under scrutiny following concerns raised by IEBC Chairman Erastus Edung regarding a projected Sh22.9 billion shortfall in the poll's budget. Edung warned that this gap could undermine electoral preparations and disrupt crucial activities, including the ongoing mass voter registration scheduled to commence in March, as well as by-elections and broader electoral readiness. Members of Parliament convened for a contentious five-day retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County. On boundary review and delimitation, he said that the commission had postponed the exercise as it was time-barred and there was a pending court case. "This exercise was supposed to be undertaken by March 2024 but it has been overtaken by events and there is a pending case on population and housing, data that's critical to the boundary review," he said. On his part, the Registrar of Political Parties, John Lorionukuo Cox, noted that the government had for years failed to meet its target in the disbursement of political parties' funds. He said that in the 2023-24 financial year, Treasury released Sh884 million against the expected Sh5.9 billion, followed by Sh1 billion in 2024-25 against the set Sh6.5 billion. He added that in the just concluded 2025-26 year, the Treasury set aside 1.9B against the required 7.6B, a move that was hurting the operations of political parties in the country. "This, coupled with underfunding, is hurting our operations and we are asking parliament to intervene as out of our budgetary allocation of Sh1.6b we have been allocated Sh580 millio,n and this is too little and we cannot meet our expectations," he said. And the dark cloud that has hovered over the controversial SHA system was back with the CS for Health Aden Duale, admitting that the country lost over Sh11b in the last two years to dubious deals. According to Duale, the government had instituted measures that would see the prosecution of all those involved in the fraud while ensuring the lost funds were recouped in the long run. Duale said so far, 29 million Kenyans had registered under SHA, where over sh. 130B had been collected and sh93.3B disbursed to healthcare facilities for services offered. He raised concerns over fraud by a section of facilities that have lodged more claims of deliveries through the Caesarean Section programs as opposed to normal deliveries. Gilgil MP Martha Wangari noted that some health facilities had taken advantage of Cesarean deliveries, with the deliveries projected to hit 30 per cent by the year 2030. "Unlike in the past, SHA is now working, though there is need for more action but cases of pending claims and fake claims remain a challenge," she said. During the retreat, the Executive has a hard time selling the planned sale of Government shares in Safaricom to Vodacom, terming the prices and timelines as questionable and worrying. The National Assembly Budget chair, Kimani Kuria, defended the sale of 15 per cent stake of government Safaricom shares out of the 35 per cent which is projected to net Sh240 billion. He said that the total collected funds would go only to infrastructure projects.

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