Gachagua impeachment: Kenyans take advantage of public participation to read riot act to MPs

Members of Parliament have come under heavy criticism over their legislative role in the impeachment process of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The second day of public participation on the motion to impeach the Deputy President saw the public turn their attention to the workings of their MPs, who led the exercise at the constituency level.

In a rare show of obedience, MPs mobilized quickly to effect court orders extending the period allowing their employers to give their views on the impeachment process.

However, the vigor that the MPs have shown in pushing for public participation in this motion does not sit well with the public.

The legislators, however, maintained that their involvement in this endeavor is just one of the duties expected of them as lawmakers.

Public participation in the legislative process is the product of the 2010 Constitution and has been both a blessing and a curse for the government since its enactment.

Indeed, a number of laws from successive governments under the 2010 Constitution have fallen at the altar of public participation.

The Jubilee government saw the push to have the Building Bridges Initiative fail to pass this test, relegating the handshake duo of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga’s project to the annals of history.

The Kenya Kwanza government has also often overlooked the issue of public participation, leading to several key legislations falling short for failing to meet the threshold of meaningful public participation.

The Housing Levy was challenged on the basis of inadequate public participation, and the Finance Bill 2024 also suffered a similar fate in the court of public opinion.

The recent protests against the Finance Bill illustrated how frustrated many Kenyans, especially the youth, felt about the lack of genuine public involvement and government action. That frustration has re-emerged during Gachagua's impeachment process.

The discontent among members of the public over this aspect of their democratic process is likely to continue until the government puts in place a concrete structure to ensure that public participation occurs to the satisfaction of the common mwananchi.