OPINION: The Painful Reality Is That Our Members of Parliament Are Village ATMs

OPINION

The painful reality is that our Members of Parliament are village Automated Teller Machines (ATMs); they pay school fees, must contribute to harambees and all manner of expenses for their constituents. 

This has been going on for more than 50 years and is now normalized. Actually, Kenyans elect their MPs based on money they dish out.

Political parties are also heavily corrupt. A person can’t get ticket without dishing out large sums to well-connected honchos. What do you think MPs do when they get to Parliament?

They must recover money they spent, buy cars/houses, educate their children, and invest in businesses. They do so through serious rent seeking, extortion etc.

Woe unto you if you are a governor and you get impeached.  You will regret the day you stopped talking to the MCAs.

You will pay heavy to be cleared. At the National Assembly, nothing moves without money. They do nothing.

Ask the, Managing Directors, Principal Secretaries and Cabinet Secretaries who they summon or invite to appear.

It is true that corruption is heavily embedded in the structures of Parliament. But don’t be fooled- Parliament sits on just one of the many anthills of our corrupt society.

We have the Executive, Judiciary, and Private Sector.  How many of you have taken loans and not paid up? Bank officials are very corrupt.

They sell charged homes in a very corrupt manner.  Iko shida.  Corruption is everywhere. In the US they beg young folks to join the military, secret service etc.

 In Kenya, they pay up to Sh 500,000 per person to earn a spot in the police or in the Army. Corruption is now a monster, a gargantuan hydra that has consumed the edifice of our entire society.

Buy the way, as an institution Parliament is a very powerful organ. People will talk and talk but nothing will be done.

DCI and EACC can't dare arrest MPs in respect of corruption in Parliament.  The President will talk publicly but reach out to the MPs behind the scenes to 'cool' them off.

MPs will demand even more money to be appeased. They will increase NCDF allocation too. The only tool to oversight MPs is through recall. But they have declined to pass a law on their recall!

PETER WANYAMA IS AN ADVOCATE WIH MORE THAN 17 YEAS IN TOP LEGAL PRACTICE