MPs protest, storm out of Parliament

By VITALIS KIMUTAI

KENYA: The Jubilee Coalition is accused of using unorthodox means to block bid to increase funding to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to pay the striking teachers. These were allegations made as CORD Coalition MPs walked out of Parliament in protest on Thursday night.

The MPs said the move to block bid to increase allocations to the Political Parties Fund, Director of Public Prosecutions, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Auditor General was clear sign of a government and a leadership that did not believe in accountability and democracy.

Led by Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo and Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba, the MPs, for the third time in a day, turned the Chamber into a battle ground as they engaged their colleagues in shouting matches before storming out as debate on the Appropriation Bill was being concluded.

Police and parliamentary orderlies quickly locked the main entrance to Parliament Buildings.Legislators, for close to 20 minutes, sang and danced as they condemned the Government and Jubilee colleagues for allegedly being used by the Executive to reverse democratic gains the country had achieved, as well as the independence of Parliament.

The media were blocked from accessing the Parliament precincts where the MPs were set to address a Press conference, forcing the legislators to walk to the gate. They addressed the media at the entrance where the public had been picketing.

Sad day

Namwamba said: “Our walking out of Parliament is a symbolic outrage out of tyranny and dictatorship of a government keen on reversing the hard and expanded democratic space in three decades and an Executive keen on manipulating Parliament.”

“This is a very sad day for this country, with teachers in the streets, students at home and parents in agony, the Jubilee government has decided to politicise a noble idea to resolve the stalemate in the education sector,” said Midiwo.

Midiwo added, “President Uhuru and Deputy President William Ruto should have given children lollipops instead of laptops and diverted the money to pay teachers who have been pushing the government to honour a deal signed 16 years ago on salary increment.”

The Gem MP said the CORD coalition would stand with teachers to the end and appealed to them not to give into the government’s move of intimidation.

“We have attempted in vain to increase funding to the office of the Auditor General so it can function properly, to the office of DPP so it can discharge its mandate in the spirit of justice, to TSC so teachers can be paid their accrued salaries and allowances but the Jubilee side was adamant that would not happen under their watch,”

Namwamba said. He said the Sh300 million allocated to the Political Parties Fund was meant to derail attempts to make political parties strong in the new political dispensation and water down efforts to put checks and balances on the Government.