A new report has revealed a worrying trend of absenteeism by several Meru legislators from Parliament, with a number of them making close to zero contributions for five years.
The report has revealed that in the last 5 years, Igembe Central MP Kubai Kiringo appeared 1486 times, contributed to several motions, but sponsored no bill in parliament.
Imenti North MP Abdul Rahim Dawood appeared 769 times and is the only Meru legislator who sponsored a bill in parliament – the Kenya Deposit Insurance Bill 2020, a law that seeks to protect depositors funds in collapsed banks.
South Imenti MP Kathuri Murungi made 656 appearances in the 5 year term, while his Tigania West counterpart Dr. John Mutunga appeared 487 times.
Meru Woman Representative Kawira Mwangaza appeared 258 times, closely followed by Igembe North MP Maoka Maore with 213 appearances, both with no bill or motion sponsored in parliament.
Despite earning millions of shillings in salary and allowances, five Meru MPs appeared less than 200 times in the National Assembly for five years, according to the analysis of the Hansard report.
These include Moses Kirima Nguchine (177 times), Mugambi Rindikiri (136 times), Halima Mucheke (106 times), Gichunge Kabeabea (28 times) and John Paul Mwirigi (7 times).
Bills, Motions and Questions
North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood is the only Meru legislator who sponsored a bill in parliament in the last five years.
The new law seeks to increase in compensation for depositors in collapsed banks from an earlier Ksh 100,000 to Ksh 500,000.
The Imenti North legislator cited two major cases – South Africa and Ireland, where revolutionary measures have successfully been implemented to safeguard depositors amidst rising cases of bank failures.
“With the objective to alleviate the high social and economic costs caused by failure of banking institutions, South Africa established a comprehensive regulatory framework in the banking sector. This is something we can largely borrow from to protect Kenyans from the same risks.” he argued.
Hon. Rahim also cited the Deposit Guarantee Scheme (DGS) in Ireland that has over time successfully protected the interests of both consumers and providers of financial services in the country.
The Imenti North legislator also sponsored a bill in the last parliament seeking to have an ICU facility and Blood Donor Unit in every constituency. This was adopted and implementation commenced in phases, with the National Government citing the high cost involved.
Rahim Dawood’s questions posed in the last five years include a statement sought from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism regarding the delayed construction of buildings within the Meru Divisional Headquarters that were demolished to create space for the extension of Kinoru Stadium in North Imenti Constituency.
The State Department of Sports in conjunction with Sports Kenya has been undertaking the refurbishment of Kinoru Stadium which was first commissioned in 2014 with a view to ensure that the Stadium meets international standards.
Prior to the commencement of the refurbishing of Kinoru Stadium, the County Commissioner’s Municipality Office Block, Ntima Chief’s Office, three Administration Police Officers’ houses, a canteen, a public toilet and a VIP toilet were all demolished.
The legislator asked Sports CS Amina Mohammed to provide timelines on the construction of the said buildings, together with a detailed statement on the temporary measures put in place by the ministry to ensure that members of the public seeking services from the said offices are assisted.
Kawira Mwangaza also tops the list of the most active Meru legislators, having posed several questions in the last five years.
Kawira’s questions include concerns raised about the implementation and disbursement of the Inua Jamii Cash Transfer Programme in Meru County, youth employment and a question on the register for PWDs in Meru County.
The author is a Social Media Strategist, a Digital Media Expert with interest in Governance and Social Welfare.
