Parliament buildings in Nairobi.
The seats reserved for ‘nominated’ politicians to just slide into offices need to be a thing of the past.
They have become a charade and embarrassment to the nation. Most of those nominated to these positions are unknowns who came from obscurity through backroom deals that did not involve any form of public participation.
Any public officer is there to represent the interests of the public. Nominated seats, on the contrary, have become tokens to be given to girlfriends and wives. The uncouth behaviour of Karen Nyamu (time and again), one of the nominated senators, is all the more reason to abolish these seats. She has shown no decorum or given the office she holds any respect since she was sprung on the nation in a cloud of controversy.
The title of ‘honourable’ bequeathed to Members of Parliament is supposed to be earned through the ballot in a transparent and democratic process. Granted, a few MPs and governors may have swept to their seats after bribing and bulldozing their way there, but at least they are the skunk their people chose to represent them.
Nominated politicians serve only their bank balances. Not even their political parties gain that much benefit except when they are required to cause trouble and hire goons.
Politicians are not only the people’s representatives, a fact lost to many of them in Kenya, but they are also role models in a model political system. Their mannerisms both in private and public should be in keeping with the office they hold.
This goes from their attire, their tone when speaking, and always maintaining integrity and dignity. Hurling insults at each other or members of the public is not part of the script of being a leader. Sadly, Kenyan politics has become all about bad behaviour that is rewarded with more nominations.
'Thigh power'
What is quite troubling is the fact that nominated seats are either obtained through bribery or ‘thigh power’ according to the ground. Had the ground, i.e. the public, had a voice in the matter, nominated seats would not have attracted vagabonds, villains and side chicks. The seats for nominated persons have been stripped of the little respect they had in the latest nominations. Political parties that clear questionable characters to represent them have undermined not just the democratic system but also Kenyans’ way of life by nominating individuals who should be nowhere near Parliament despite their misbehaviours.
Elected MPs and MCAs are in public offices to represent the public and vote on important issues that affect the day-to-day lives of millions of Kenyans. Having illiterate to semi-literate nominated people represent millions of intelligent and highly educated Kenyans must be the most unjust thing ever meted out to the country. The entitlement of nominated MPs and MCAs is inexcusable. It is also unfair to politicians who put in the hard work to be elected and earn their stripes at the ballot box. The whole idea of nominated posts makes a mockery of democracy. The two-tier political system where some sacred cows have their nominations on a silver platter, and others have to get to Parliament through blood, sweat and tears should never have existed. Nominated politicians are there to muddy the waters by representing party interests.
What else are they representing in Kenya? As a result, and due to their self-entitlement, they behave as if they dim fit. Their misbehaviour does not only taint the parties that nominated them but the person too.
Some are so ingrained in the system that whatever they do, they cannot be punished because their behaviour is largely assessed by the party rather than Parliament, which should have jurisdiction over them like all other MPs. Nominated MPs and MCAs live by their rules to a large degree, and that makes it easier for them to go rogue.
No value for money
The positions occupied by nominated MPs are of little benefit to the taxpayers and offer no value for money. Their continued presence is unjustified given the fact that the government keeps saying it is cash-strapped and unable to fund development projects. By abolishing the posts for nominated MPs and MCAs, the country should be able to save money that could be used to fund essential services to the public.
There is every need to protect the democratic process, and that should start by every aspirant getting a fair chance in the political process. Nominating some people to Parliament on a free ticket is anathema to democracy. Whatever purposes nominated seats were meant to serve, the process is now untenable. It is being abused and needs to be stopped altogether.
Nominated posts are becoming just tokens for political parties to dish out and buy patronage and favours from those they nominate. The only way to save Kenya’s democracy is to end nominated seats from the counties all the way to Parliament. Kenya’s politics is already losing credibility without the issue of the controversial nominated seats.
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The writer is a legal researcher, [email protected] (@kdiguyo).
