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The late Kibra MP Ken Okoth was an astute defender of the community he represented in parliament.
Okoth who represented a constituency that arguably hosts Africa’s biggest slum is known for championing for causes that would in turn elevate and improve the lives of his constituents.
One of the causes that set him aside from his colleagues in parliament were when he stood against his party leader Raila Odinga’s stand and refused to support the controversial VAT bill.
Okoth is quoted says that he has no apologies for not supporting the bill.
“My spectacles are not objects of prestige, but emblems of paucity, I would not be wearing them had I grown up in an opulent background,” he stated.
“My conscience could not allow me to subject the poor to more hardship via my vote” he continued.
Okoth further stated how the use of small kerosene lamp famously known in oKibra as Nyangile damaged his eyesight further condemning him to a life of spectacles.
“Nyangile damaged my eye sight. I would be out of my mind to do anything that would make life harder for people like my mum who sold anything from clothes to paraffin and tomatoes in Kibra to bring up six children,” said Okoth.
MPs in 2018 in a chaotic parliamentary session passed a controversial VAT Bill that saw fuel tax go up.
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