Obama would not win an election here — ODM chairman John Mbadi

Outspoken ODM Chairman and Suba MP does not mince his words. He spoke to Protus Onyango on why ‘Baba’ will run in 2017, the weak Senate and how POTUS would have a rough time running in Kenya

Some of the best debaters in Bunge are now in the Senate. Is Parliament poorer as a result?

Yes, we have lost some quality and experience to the Senate, but we have also gained some few smart MPs who have added value to debate in Parliament.

You wanted US President Barack Obama to put pressure on the government, but it seems he sidelined the opposition during his recent trip to Kenya. Was that the case?

It is not that the US president sidelined the opposition. That is Jubilee propaganda. Obama was a State guest and so, his programme was managed by the government of the two countries.

It should be understood that Obama is the President of the United States of America, the most powerful nation and so you don’t expect things to be done the same way it would be done if another president came visiting. He even left our president, the host, at the airport on his arrival. Was that a snub?

Obama arranged for a meeting with opposition and kept the appointment.

After the alleged snub by Obama, and the fact that EU and the envoys of UK and Scandinavian countries rarely pile pressure on the government, what next for the opposition?

The EU (European Union), UK (United Kingdom) and other European nations, always join the push after the opposition generates enough pressure on governance issues. But remember that Obama talked about the issues affecting the nation and we are aware he was harder on the government during the bilateral talks.

What’s ailing the opposition? You don’t seem to be challenging the government firmly on corruption, insecurity, etc...

There’s more that the opposition could have done, but then again, we have kept the government in check. And it’s common knowledge that we are outnumbered as the opposition in Parliament. Kenya is still maturing as a democracy and that is why some opposition MPs still proclaim to be working with the government to attract development, forgetting that the new Constitution has changed things, including the budget making process.

We made sure that the Bill on public benefits organisation was defeated, the opposition opposed the security laws amendments with great success, we helped amend the VAT Act , opposition MPs have the highest number of private Bills, and we have been questioning the expenditure in government, NYS (National Youth Service) as well as raising queries about allegations of fraud.

Bunge voted to send the EACC (Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission) Secretariat packing. Isn’t this detrimental to EACC’s investigations?

I think Kenyans have lost faith in EACC — including the secretariat. But I don’t think it was right to send the secretariat home in the absence of commissioners as it would throw the ongoing cases into disarray. I was not present during the debate, but that is my position which I would have articulated.

If Cord (Coalition for Reforms and Democracy) was in government, what would you do differently in terms of governance and accountability?

We would have ensured full implementation of the Constitution, which would have included giving support to the devolved units to take off, strengthened financial systems to cub corruption, as well as gender mainstream in all appointive and elective positions.

Additionally, we would have allocated adequate resources to the Auditor General’s office to grant him more capacity — and yes, we would have acted on his recommendations without hesitation. Reforms in the security sector and passage of legislation to protect minority communities would have been dealt with. On land, we would have completed the land reforms, implemented the TJRC (Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission) report and other reports like the Ndung’u Report, besides addressing all historical injustices, and many more.

‘Baba’ is running in 2017. Does he stand a chance? What will you as ODM do differently?

Raila won twice — in 2007 and again in 2013 — but was denied victory. Kenyans who voted for him have not given up because they know what he stands for, which they identify with. They are likely to vote for him in 2017. We only need to assure them that this time, they will not be robbed of victory and that is why we are calling for more electoral reforms.

Parliament has been accused of doing a bad job of vetting presidential appointees. Is this fair criticism?

It is true that Parliament has not lived up to the expectations of many in terms of vetting, given that Kenyans were so excited with the new system. But the poor performance is because the misuse of the so-called tyranny of numbers.

The Senate... was it a mistake? Should we get rid of it?

Senate was not and can never be a mistake. We created Senate to protect devolution, but that responsibility is too vague to make the Senate effective. We need to make Senate a true Upper House to be able to veto all decisions of the National Assembly. What I have been saying is that the Senate as it is today is too weak for its stature. Senate needs a bigger constitutional mandate.

As a seasoned parliamentarian, which rookie MP has impressed you the most?

I am impressed by the performance of my opposite member of TNA, Hon Johnson Sakaja. He comes out as objective and focused on youth issues as well. Hon Opiyo Wandai from Ugunja is also coming out well as principled and committed to parliamentary work.

Assuming that Obama relocates to Kenya after his retirement in the US and runs for the presidency here. Do you think Kenyans would vote for him?

Obama would not win easily in Kenya. He would have to work hard because some will start seeing him as Luo. Others would want to know if he contributes in harambees and funerals.

He would have to spend some time in Kenya before he is understood, and only then would he be able to attract votes, especially from parts of the country which can vote a leader from other ethnic communities.