A joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate. The role of legislators is not just to make the laws but also to be the first to adhere to the laws they make.
I have been vocal in expressing my opposition to the formation of the Victims’ Compensation scheme. I still believe and feel that it is in bad taste and a terrible idea, with a precedent being set for further violation of human rights in Kenya.
Meanwhile, I read comments from politicians on social media, our beloved lawmakers, in support of compensation for victims of human rights violations during the deadly protests of June 2024. No serving politician, as far as I know, has come out to demand accountability for the deaths of mostly young Kenyans whose lives were cut short in their prime.
I do not believe for a minute that Kenyan politicians are ignorant of the fact that hundreds of Kenyan youths have been unlawfully killed. I do not believe that they are ignorant that the perpetrators should be held accountable for the human rights violations against the protestors both in 2024 and 2025. They choose to be blind to justice and the law in favour of sycophancy. Saving their bread and butter is more important than fighting for the rule of law.
Bribery
Politicians in Kenya have always used monetary bribes to win seats. They have put value in every engagement they have with their voters. It is not surprising, therefore, for them to put monetary value on the death of voters. After all, they have seen voters as chattels and not humans—which explains the disparity in standard of living between them and the poor voters.
To them, voters are dispensable items to be consumed and discarded with pleasure. Whether that discarding comes in the form of ignoring their plight or killing them altogether does not matter to them as long as they have swatted them away as they climb the political ladder.
Most of our politicians see the children of the voters as just vermin to be exterminated. As long as their children are safe, the rest does not matter, including and not limited to extrajudicial killings of poor children.
Political sycophancy is just expediency to know-tow to the presidency, even in a climate where human rights violations are being committed. There is no gun being held at most of the politicians, who are busy drumming up support for a scheme that has a more detrimental effect on Kenyan society than anything else mooted in the recent past by the current regime.
Sadly, the culture of fear and monetary benefits for being sycophants is inspiring most of our politicians to stand up for violations rather than for what is morally right. Had Parliament been an institution guided by the rule of law, all the lawmakers would speak with one voice against human rights violations, but alas! Even the ODM party that was known to challenge the system when it failed to toe the line, has—since going to bed with the current regime—been loud, proud and brash in encouraging violation of human rights in Kenyans. Supporting the killing of innocent lives is being complicit in the violation of human rights.
The role of the lawmakers is not just to make the laws but also to be the first to adhere to the laws they make. Political sycophancy has blinded the lawmakers to the crucial role of respecting the rule of law. Instead, they are the first to trample on the rights of Kenyans they themselves enshrined in the Constitution as the premier of Bill of Rights.
Do our MPs even know the tenets of the Bill of Rights? If they did, they would stand by them and die for them as they made them to protect their voters’ lives. A sacred life is priceless. No amount of monetary inducement could offer a remedy for extrajudicial killings.
Silencing dissent
I believe that had Parliament spoken with one voice rather than pursuing individual goals through political sycophancy, Kenya would be in a better position, and human rights violations would be a thing of the past.
Blindly supporting any scheme set up to silence dissent or cover up human rights violations is not what MPs were elected to do. Their crucial role is to stand up for the laws they made to protect human rights.
I will urge the electorate to hold their political representatives to account if they stand up for human rights violations rather than the Bill of Rights, which includes respect for human lives.
Collective political sycophancy is becoming a cover-up for all the malfeasance of the ruling regimes and politicians. Political sycophancy allows bullying of Kenyans, normalises human rights violations, and must end.
Ms Guyo is a legal researcher, [email protected], @kdiguyo
