GACHURI’S PUNCHLINE: Parliament for the welfare of society

It was my submission seven days ago, and still is, that politicians totally enjoy elections and find the space in between boring and unnecessary.

Yet this is the period that ought to be more vibrant, as leaders deliver to the electorate, what they promised while on the campaign trail. Essentially, when one is working, busy and meaningfully engaged, there is little time for noise and sideshows. More so, if the task one has undertaken has a time limit.

An elective office has a term, in the case of our 2010 constitutional architecture, a five-year tenure. So, in 1,642 days, the Kenyan voters have a date with the ballot to determine if the current crop of leaders, right from the presidency to the county assemblies, will deserve a fresh mandate or not.

Ideally, the principal consideration in making that determination ought to be performance and an assessment of how much leaders elected on 9th August 2022 have fulfilled their campaign pledges. But I am well aware that in politics, the ideal does not necessarily.

Anyway, last evening, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u openly told the country that our economy is on its knees. That we are broke. That we are in a financial hole. That our needs as a nation do not match with the revenue collected. That just like many household budgets among citizens that are not adding up, our national budget is not adding up. In street lingo, they would say the ‘math is not mathing’.

That concession by the cabinet secretary got me thinking. Whose economy is on its knees? It is our collective national economy. The economy of those who support the administration of President William Ruto and those who do not. The same cost of living that is a burden to those who voted for Kenya Kwanza candidates is affecting Azimio supporters. Uchumi haubagui.

The suffering is the same! So instead of supporters of this leader insulting supporters of the other leader, they should be teaming up to demand the best from the executive, from parliament and county administrations.

And that is why I turn my attention to the 13th parliament. Our lawmakers return to the House on Tuesday, after a 75-day Christmas recess for the National Assembly and 68 days for the Senate.

During this break, many things happened on the political scene. The all too familiar political fault lines informed positions taken by the parliamentarians, be it matters taxation, how the august 9th presidential election was conducted, who is to blame for the current biting cost of living, you name them! But while at it, our lawmakers participated in regional games competitions and were happily doing so, political persuasions aside.

They were in Mombasa and Naivasha for retreats, I saw them interact freely and one would not easily discern their political differences. That is the beauty of our politics. Unfortunately, that plays out at the top level.

Among their supporters, the enemity never seems to go away, and one would wonder why they would choose to hold such strong positions supposedly on behalf of their favourite politicians, who by the way care less!

As our lawmakers troop back to parliament on Tuesday, I urge them to represent the people of Kenya and the interests of those people. Our parliamentarians have a singular challenge of raising the quality of legislative work in the 13th parliament.

The MPs must desist from using legislations like paint balls in a game or like arrows to fight short term political wars. The current discourse on the IEBC selection panel for instance, as outlined by the IEBC Amendment Act 2022 confirms how fluid our political system is.

In less than two years, we’ve gone full circle. Those who supported the process of recruiting four IEBC commissioners in the run up to the august 2022 General Election are crying foul, while those who opposed the process are comfortable with the current law. Siasa si hasa!

What is my point? Our lawmakers, do your best for others this year in Parliament. When the National Treasury cabinet secretary says we are broke, you, our representatives in the August House have a huge assignment on your hands.

In any case, Parliament plays a pivotal role in the budget-making process. Keenly read the supplementary budget and make decisions with the best interests of the Kenyan people. Reject any wastage. Prioritise that which will address the current cost of living.

Scrutinize the Auditor General’s report and be firm with those who found to have misused funds allocated to their dockets! And while at it, keep an eye on the tax measures. Speak for us. Represent us. Don’t keep silent when citizens are taxed to the teeth. In any case, all tax measures must go through your hands.

And while at it, do not lament on social media, in funerals or political rallies. Take it to the floor of the house! Otherwise, there will be no difference between you the elected leaders and us the electorate! Best wishes as you begin the second session of the 13th parliament.