The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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By: Vincent Mumba
What happens to a democracy when its watchdog forgets how to bark? In every democracy worth the name, Parliament exists to serve as a check on the Executive, a guardian of the people’s will, and a watchdog of national interest.
Yet in Kenya today, that noble role has been hollowed out. Parliament, once a house of fiery debate and accountability, has steadily devolved into a rubber stamp—obedient to the Executive, indifferent to the citizen, and dangerously comfortable with power.
Consider the record. When the Finance Bill 2024 came before the House, Kenyans poured onto the streets in protest. Yet MPs, some reportedly enticed with Sh2 million sweeteners, dutifully waved it through. The Housing Levy Bill was rammed through in similar fashion, with dissent silenced and opposition MPs walking out in protest.
Oversight over Kenya’s ballooning debt has also been sacrificed: in 2023–2024 alone, nearly Sh898 billion in foreign loans was approved with barely a question asked, leaving taxpayers to shoulder the burden. Even the controversial eco levy, fiercely opposed by citizens and civil society, survived Parliament’s scrutiny almost intact.
Each of these moments exposed a Legislature less interested in serving the public, and more committed to shielding the Executive.
Add to that the ignored audit flags on over Kshs 600 billion in irregular expenditure, or the politicized impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and the pattern is unmistakable: an institution that normalizes excess, excuses corruption, and abdicates its constitutional mandate.
Part of the problem lies in the political architecture itself. With political parties heavily dependent on the Executive for patronage and survival, Members of Parliament are often more loyal to party leaders and state power than to their constituents.
This has created a Parliament that prioritizes appeasing the powers that be over serving as a check on them. Oversight committees that should hold ministries accountable are increasingly subdued, their reports watered down before reaching the public domain.
In this climate, Parliament ceases to be an independent arm of government and becomes an appendage of the very power it is meant to restrain.
But citizens cannot escape responsibility either. We often elect representatives not for their independence of thought but for their proximity to ruling coalitions and their ability to deliver handouts or local projects. In doing so, we validate a system that prizes compliance over conscience. Parliament, in many ways, mirrors our own political culture which is deeply rooted in ‘’development-at-any-cost” mentality.
The tragedy is that this short-sightedness mortgages the nation’s future. A school or dispensary may win votes today, but the unchecked corruption that Parliament ignores steals far more from generations yet to come. By trading independence for favours, we entrench a political culture where Parliament is not the people’s watchdog, but the Executive’s hunting dog.
In this sense, Parliament does not just mirror our political culture—it magnifies it, reflecting our collective willingness to settle for crumbs while the banquet of power remains untouched.
Still, decline is not destiny. The Parliament of the 1990s, even under the suffocating grip of the presidency, still produced courageous voices that demanded reform. What is required now is a renewed culture of independence, MPs willing to risk patronage for principle, and citizens willing to reward them for it.
A Parliament that bows instead of barks does not just weaken democracy; it strangles it. When the House trades vigilance for obedience, power gathers unchecked at the centre, scrutiny is muted, and accountability becomes a luxury rather than a duty. Kenya has paid dearly for every inch of democratic progress—through protest, sacrifice, and blood. To watch those gains squandered by an obedient Parliament is not only careless, it is dangerous.
The time has come to reclaim Parliament’s dignity and restore its bite. The people do not need a lapdog curled at the Executive’s feet; they need a watchdog with teeth, unafraid to bare them in defence of the nation’s interest. Anything less is not compromise, It is betrayal.
Vincent Mumba is a columnist and social commentator based in Nairobi. He writes with a sharp eye on politics, society, and Sports.
