Politics is all about politicians' interest and not public interest

The one issue I have always had with the phrase ‘politics is about interest' is the glaring omission of its qualifier: Whose interest? For most politicians, that interest, rarely refers to the people they pledge to serve. That interest, more often than not, means their self-preservation, comfort and convenience.

Last week’s uproar in Parliament following the President’s claim that MPs take bribes to pass or kill Bills exposed a truth Kenyans have always known: Our legislators do not work for the people they represent. Unless it promises to protect their power and privileges, they do not/will not give a thought to it.

The drama, sparked by the President’s accusation about the mode of conduct of our ‘hounarable’ members revealed how the House has been operating for the longest time. The tantrums, the outrage and self-righteous cries summarily answered the ‘whose’ question in the ‘interests’ phrase.

One MP stood on Parliament’s floor and spoke of how legislators had "given our sweat and blood to make this government what it is" and did not deserve to be branded corrupt. He even claimed, ironically, that his wife now checks his pockets for the bribe money he is accused of pocketing. This statement, self-righteous and comical as it sounded, left a few difficult questions. If MPs indeed give their ‘sweat and blood’ to make this government work, whose interest are they defending? Why must it cost them so much if they are truly people-centered? And if the sweat and blood they speak of is for the sake of mwananchi, why use it as a defence instead of wearing it as a badge of honour?

Another MP lamented how the President’s words had shaken his integrity and family’s trust. With a touch of drama, he roped in his wife claiming she now questioned his fidelity. He demanded a public apology for the damage the statement caused to his dignity and that of his colleagues. By taking this emotional path and invoking family, this MP was simply deflecting from the real question which is whether MPs, in fact, sell their votes to the highest bidder.

Yet another one sensationally claimed that Parliament was ‘under attack’ even as he admitted that members had stood with the government at the cost of their popularity. Unwittingly, he confessed to abandoning the very people who elected them, ignoring public interest to appease the Executive.

Others took to blackmail, demanding proof or retraction, knowing full well that such a move would bring the entire House crashing down, something neither side was ready for. One accused the President of ‘using and dumping’ them, while others wailed about being abandoned at a very ‘vulnerable moment’, whatever that means. In all this, not a single MP stood to defend their name on the simple basis of their innocence. Every single one of them, in so many words, were crying over betrayal by their partner in crime.

The most damning admission, after all the theatrics, came from Ugenya MP David Ochieng. Without mincing words, he declared that MPs passed Bills for the President. He wondered how, after doing him such ‘favours’, the President had the audacity to ‘bastardise’ them. In that single outburst, the MP made it clear that they do not legislate for the people. Thanks to him, Kenya finally understood the true meaning of ‘politics is about interest’.

That ‘interest’ cares less when health systems fail. You can die waiting for that SHA approval for all it cares. It has zero qualms about the state of our roads. You can fly off a boda boda after it hits a pothole and break all your bones and ‘interest’ will shrug it off. Your kids can shuffle from one class to the next, clueless about what they are learning and where it leads them while ‘interest’ is busy cutting deals with the big boys. Ochieng’s slip confirmed how irrelevant we all are after the ballot.

So, fellow Kenyan, next time someone tell you politics is about interest, please remember this, your interest is not part of the deal. In the game of ‘interests’ we are entirely on our own.

Ms Wekesa is a development communication consultant. [email protected]