Parliament: House of 'transaction' that has simply refused to step up

This week, I keep returning to a verse that won’t leave my heart: Ephesians 4:15, “…speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body…” 

It touched me deeply, and I pray it touches this nation as well, especially its political leaders. There comes a time when love must thunder, not just whisper. That time is now, and the storm must begin in Parliament.

To our esteemed Members, I write with genuine respect, not to mock, but to touch your hearts. You are not just lawmakers; you are guardians of a sacred trust.

However, somewhere along the way, the House meant to reflect our national conscience has faded, quietly becoming what many now call a “House of Transaction.”

At the 2025 Devolution Conference, President William Ruto spoke out about what many are afraid to admit: that some lawmakers ask for money from officials under oversight. “It cannot continue to be business as usual,” he warned. This was no concert. It was a public plea from the highest office in the nation.

When Parliament becomes a marketplace, oversight disappears. Reports are bought rather than produced. Whistleblowers are silenced. Accountability turns into extortion. As Senator Richard Onyonka said, MPs can’t provide oversight because “they are part of the take.” These aren’t accusations.

They are confessions. Then came a voice familiar with Parliament, former Speaker Justin Muturi. In July, he revealed a quieter form of corruption: “sweeteners” embedded in constitutional amendments like the NG-CDF, NGAAF, and SOF, meant to buy MP loyalty. “Parliament has been reduced to a House of Transaction,” he said. He was right.

We are now seeing a new form of budgeted corruption. Not hidden, not denied, but built into the legislative process. If it benefits the Member, it gets approved easily. If it helps the country but provides no financial gain, it gathers dust.

Meanwhile, Kenyans suffer in silence. Students drop out, clinics remain empty, and leaders rush by in motorcades, never walking back. Critical issues in health, education and mental health are often ignored unless they require a trip to Mombasa. Corruption is no longer whispered. It’s embedded in the system.

Still, not every MP is guilty. Leaders like my own MP, Dr Makali Mulu, remind us that integrity still exists within the House. But when Parliament assembles, something tragic often happens, personal conviction collapses under what is officially known as collective responsibility, yet what scholars and social commentators now call collective stupidity. This term describes the phenomenon where intelligent individuals, when acting as a group, make decisions that are far less wise than they might have chosen alone. It is the opposite of the wisdom of crowds. 

Even before motions reach the chamber, many quietly fade away in party caucuses, where loyalty is valued more than logic, and courage is exchanged for compliance. In such spaces, even independent minds must struggle to stay free.

Even angels would be demonised in such a system. A Parliament that punishes honesty and rewards silence makes it impossible for truth to thrive. And in such an environment, even the President cannot bear the burden of reform alone. Some of President Ruto’s burdens are not his own. He inherited a system so broken that good intentions alone are not enough.

But it doesn’t have to stay this way. Parliament can still lead the way. This House can be the birthplace of healing. If our lawmakers choose to move from brokenness to boldness, the rest of the country will follow. If not, this season will be remembered not for laws passed, but for opportunities lost. So I return to Scripture: “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

Let that growth begin now. With you. For Kenya. Think green, act green!

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