The outgoing 11th Parliament, a House of 367 members, proposes
This is unacceptable. Even 50 per cent of MPs would still be too few to conduct business.
That in the lead-up to the general election only four per cent of MPs will do the business of the House compares poorly with many other legislatures. South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, the UK and Australia all require one-third of MPs be present.
Germany’s Bundestag requires fully 50 per cent.
On top of arranging to be paid Sh3 billion for two months of no work, MPs are looking to break yet another dubious-distinction world record – the smallest quorum in the world.
Fifteen MPs is too little, particularly when Kenyan voters consider the fact that MPs are paid to represent them. The door is now wide open to the passage of controversial legislation without proper scrutiny, a threat to the integrity of Kenya’s democracy.
