As representatives of the people in the National Assembly, MPs are expected to articulate public interest. If MPs’ motivation was purely self-interest, then it would have been illogical of them to seek the people’s vote. However, the lawmakers are human and, while performing the duties for which they were elected, they also need to be rewarded. This is why they pay themselves well.
However, the suspect conduct of some parliamentary committees raises eyebrows. The committees enable MPs to investigate issues before being presented on the floor of the House for debate. Last year, eyebrows were raised when members of the agriculture committee appeared to get too chummy with industrialists who had been summoned for questioning. This, naturally, took the sting out of the inquiry.
This is what must have prompted National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi to issue a warning to House committee members not to be too cosy with the people who appear before them. However, MPs have been breaching this directive. For instance, the committee on transport recently turned a session into a closed-door meeting, ignoring the Speaker’s ruling that any meeting held without the clerk is out of order.
The team might have had a good reason for the closed-door meeting. The only problem is the apparent open defiance of the Speaker on a matter that he has clearly addressed. Committees are integral to the conduct of the business of the House. Most importantly, members of the teams must be at the forefront of promoting transparency and accountability. They should be the last people to engage in suspicious conduct. It would be betrayal of voters to be seen to be articulating interests of individuals, organisations or special groups at the electorate’s expense.
