Parliament has been captured by Executive, Senator Osotsi says on Ruto's Naivasha meeting

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has described Monday’s joint parliamentary group meeting chaired by President William Ruto as the clearest indication yet that the Legislature has been ‘captured’ by the Executive.

In the meeting held in Naivasha, Ruto called for what he described as a more responsible Legislature that permits the Executive to carry out its mandate.

According to Senator Osotsi, Ruto’s comments on how legislators should carry out their job is a sign the Executive arm of government is influencing MPs.

“We have been talking about the State capture of parliament. Yesterday was the clearest indication that parliament has been captured by the Executive. Members of Parliament were being lectured by the Head of State on what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to vote,” the senator said during Tuesday’s Day Break program on Citizen TV.

“When he talked about disloyalty in reference to the Affordable Housing Bill; that they need to pass it yet the courts have pronounced itself on the issue of housing levy,” he added.

He was referring to President Ruto telling lawmakers to pass the contentious Affordable Housing Bill to actualize the housing pillar in his administration, despite both the High Court and the Court of Appeal terming the housing tax unconstitutional.

“Housing remains one of our key agendas. As the parliament, the ball is in your court. You have the bill already. What is remaining?” President Ruto said on Monday.

According to Osotsi, what Ruto directed MPs to do is unlawful. He said: “That bill went through public participation and the majority of the people who appeared before the parliamentary committee rejected it. So where is the space for public participation?”

In his view, parliament will disregard the public participation results based on “what was discussed in the meeting and the directions the Kenya Kwanza MPs were given.”

Ruto last week said lawmakers should pass the bill “without asking a lot of questions.”

The Court of Appeal in January declined to suspend a High Court order that declared the housing levy as unconstitutional.

Appellate Court judges Lydia Achode, John Mativo, and Paul Gachoka cited public interest in the matter, highlighting the High Court ruling that the housing levy was introduced without a legal framework.