No bus fare, no meeting — 200 Kericho residents

Two-hundred 200 Kericho county residents walked out on three MPs when they learned they wouldn't get bus fare or lunch.

Some had travelled 40km and waited eight hours for the start of public participation on the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee.

They were fed up and all hell broke loose.

Finally the most outspoken demanded and persuaded the three PMs to pay them from their own pockets and get their own reimbursement for Parliament.

The MPs headed by Kaduyi's Wafula wa Munyinyi appeared not to grasp that residents who had travelled to the Anglican Church of Kenya Conference Center in Kericho town were unhappy on learning there was no budget for their bus fare, or lunch, for that matter.

Wamunyinyi was accompanied by Chepalungu MP Gideon Koske and his Keiyo South counterpart Daniel Rono.

An elder from Ainomoi constituency, Daniel Matingwony asked if the three MPs had considered or set aside reimbursement for bus fare before the event.

Anger boiled over when Wamunyinyi told the participants here was no budget for lunch and bus fare.

Some had travelled all the way from Londiani, Kipkelion, Buret, Sigowest/Soin and Ainamoi.

Kevin Korir from Kapkugerwet ward asked out the three MPa could have invited them to take part without considering reimbursement.

MPs' promises that they would "consider"  giving them some little money from their pockets fell on deaf ears as residents started marching out.

Wamunyinyi promised to schedule another meeting after considering residents' need for reimbursement.

“You kept us waiting for more than eight hours without lunch and water just for you to annoy us further by refusing to reimburse our transport money” Joyce Chepngetich Rop lectured the three MPs.

The committee is seeking public opinion on an amendment of constitution on the independence of the three arms of the government — the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive on how harambee money should be handled.

(Edited by V. Graham)