Photo/ FILE Gachoka MP Mutava Musyimi.
By NATION TEAM
Posted Friday, March 16 2012 at 16:18
Posted Friday, March 16 2012 at 16:18
Mr Mutava Musyimi, the MP for Gachoka, knows that Kenyans are worried about his “silence”.
After all he has declared interest in the Presidency.
But he insists that he loses no sleep over this because, unlike some of his rivals, he is not in the electorates’ bad books for looting public coffers.
Mr Musyimi says he spends the bulk of his time in the meetings of House Committees.
He’s the chairman of the Lands and Natural Resources and a member of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
Through the committees, he has come to learn “a lot about the problems in the Executive.”
The Gachoka MP describes himself as a “very compassionate man who feels what the public feels.”
And he thinks the Lamu port and other grand ideas are very lofty, yet a majority of Kenyans are wallowing in poverty.
“We’re all going for the superhighways, yet people want small things like schools, roads, dispensaries, polytechnics and jobs.”
As for why a first-time MP would vie for the Presidency, he says: “Someone has to fix this country.”
He loathes negative ethnicity and believes in the rule of law. And, he actually insists he is an “honest politician”.
“Looking for an honest politician is like looking for an ethical burglar,” Mark Twain, that king of one-liners noted back in the day.
Simon Cameron, another great mind, added: “An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.” Take your pick.
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Meanwhile....
Fine coincidence
Mr Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu) has been missing in action for some days.
There were reports of an arrest warrant against him from a court in Bomet. But, Mr Ruto insists that he has been a free man, roaming the constituency.
He told Inside Track: “The policemen salute whenever they see me. I asked them, if they were looking for me, but they said, they had no idea about an arrest warrant.
“My vehicles are known; I live in known homes. I have a phone and an iPad that are always on, and my contacts are known.
“If anyone really wanted to reach me, they’d do it.” Well, well, isn’t it such a fine coincidence that he resurfaced on the day the arrest warrant was lifted.
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Skipping debates
But whenever there’s debate on financial matters in the august House, which is key to devolution, a majority of MPs seem keen to give it a wide berth.The devolution envisaged in the Constitution is that of power and resources.
They probably find such debates extremely humdrum, technical and too tough for them to handle.
That is what happened in Parliament this week when there was debate on the Public Financial Management Bill began.
What these people with absolute legislative powers fail to realise is that this is the Bill that will make or break devolution.
Is this apathy likely to read to an erosion of the dream of devolved governments? Time will tell.
Stories by: Alphonce Shiundu, Billy Muiruri and Jacob Ng’etich
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