More than half of the Members of Parliament will not make it back, an actuarial report of the House shows.
Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula told the lawmakers during the fourth retreat in Naivasha that majority of them will not “see inside the next Parliament”
“Yesterday, I was chairing a committee on pensions, and an actuarial report shows that, on the average, our attrition rate is 56 percent so as we sit here, at least 56 percent will not see the inside of Parliament next Parliament, and we want to make sure that there must be life and good life after you Leave Parliament, so that you can be covered health wise,” Mr Wetang’ula told the lawmakers.
With just 560 days for the life of the 13th Parliament to come to an end, the lawmakers will face a hostile voter in 2027.
In June 2024, young protesters invaded Parliament after accusing the current MPs of failing to listen to their concerns regarding the Finance Bill, 2024.
The Bill was rejected by President William Ruto but most MPs who supported it had a difficult time going to their constituencies as they were jeered in most social gatherings.
More than half of MPs will not make it back to Parliament - Wetang'ula
Mr Wetang’ula urged MPs to urgently consider and pass the Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2023 sponsored by Makali Mulu.
The Bill seeks to give the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) which is the MPs employer the power to establish a voluntary post-retirement medical scheme for MPs
The Bill will therefore give the PSC power to determine through regulation the minimum and maximum amount an MP can contribute to the post-retirement scheme with the government matching the contributions
The Post Service Medical Scheme (PSMS) for MPs is envisioned as a framework to provide comprehensive healthcare support to Parliamentarians upon exit.
Dr Mulu inherited the Bill from former Mwatate MP Andrew Mwadime who is now the governor of Taita Taveta who started the process of ensuring MPs get post medical care but the Bill had not been considered by the time the life of 12th Parliament elapsed.
The main aim of the Bill is to ensure that MPs continue to access quality medical care after leaving office, reflecting a commitment to the welfare of those who have served the nation.
The lawmakers said during the retreat that proper planning and administration of the scheme are critical to its success, requiring clear guidelines on contributions, benefit structures, and eligibility, as well as robust oversight mechanisms to guarantee transparency and sustainability
“We are not strangers to the fact that political attrition is an avoidable reality, and the resultant consequence of that is exit from Parliament, which comes with diminished earnings,” Mr Wetang’ula said.
The speaker said he has so far sat with technical officers including representatives from the National Treasury and have dissected all aspects of the Bill and given it clean bill of health for consideration by the House.
MPs take a group photo during day one of the four-day 2026 Legislative Retreat for Members of the National Assembly, at Lake Naivasha Resort in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on January 27, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
“I have painstakingly gone through this Bill with Makali Mulu, the Pensions Committee, actual advice, management of Parliament and the Treasury representation. It in my opinion, and my opinion is always a good opinion. It is a very good bill for you,” Mr Wetang’ula said.
According to the speaker, the Bill will streamline on the pension of members especially those who served for two terms, lost an election then made a comeback.
“We have members out there like the honorable Jimmy Angwenyi, Wafula Wamunyinyi who served Parliament for two terms, left and came back and served another two terms, and the current law does not recognize one of the two terms, so they only get pension for two terms,” Mr Wetang’ula said.
“This Bill now harmonizes this. This Bill respects the term you have served in Parliament will be able to help all the accumulative period you have been in Parliament mean something to your pension,” he added.
The speaker warned the lawmakers that waiting till the tail end of the life of Parliament to consider the Bill will be counterproductive when they face the electorates in the 2027 elections.
“We want to encourage you to give it priority for the simple reason that this bill that touches on your welfare, if you leave it towards elections, it will become an electoral issue against you,” Mr Wetang’ula said.
