If you are angry about the price of unga or the deductions on your payslip, stop looking at State House for a moment and look at your local MP. In a searing critique that has ignited conversations across Nairobi this morning, a letter to the editor by citizen John Kioko has exposed the uncomfortable truth about Kenya’s economic woes: we are suffering because we elected a Parliament that forgot how to say “No.”

The letter, published in the Daily Nation, argues that the “imperial presidency” is a myth sustained by a submissive legislature. It comes at a time when the 13th Parliament is under intense scrutiny for what critics call “conveyor belt” politics—rubber-stamping executive bills without reading the fine print.

The High Cost of Silence

Kioko’s argument is simple but devastating: “The economic strain facing millions of households today is directly linked to weak legislative resistance to harmful fiscal policies.”

He notes that while Kenyans obsess over the presidency, it is the MPs who hold the purse strings. When Parliament fails to scrutinize a budget or fight a Finance Bill, the result is immediate financial pain for the mwananchi. The letter explicitly links the public outrage over debt and taxes to a House that has “forgotten who it works for.”

This sentiment is backed by hard data. A recent scorecard by Mzalendo Trust, a parliamentary monitoring group, revealed a worrying trend of silence in the August House. While veteran MPs like Adan Keynan (Eldas) topped the list for activity, others like Oscar Sudi (Kapseret) and George Aladwa (Makadara) were flagged as “perennial non-speakers.”

Rubber Stamps and Conveyor Belts

The critique goes beyond mere silence. It attacks the quality of representation. The 13th Parliament has been accused of rushing through legislation with minimal public participation. For instance, the Digital Health Bill was pushed through the Senate with a public participation window of just three days—hardly enough time for experts, let alone the average Kenyan, to digest its impact.

Analysts point to the failed Finance Bill 2024 as the turning point. The public anger that spilled onto the streets was not just about taxes; it was a protest against a Parliament that seemed deaf to the cries of its constituents. As Kioko writes, “Even the strongest president is handicapped when Parliament is weak, compromised, and packed with MPs who neither understand their constitutional roles nor care to defend public interest.”

What to Look for in 2027

With the next election cycle already looming in the minds of politicians, the conversation is shifting from complaints to criteria. What should a voter look for? The letter suggests a radical departure from the “six-piece” suit voting pattern.

• Budget Literacy: Can your MP actually read and critique a national budget, or do they just shout “Aye”?
• Constitutional Grasp: Do they understand their role is oversight, not just distributing CDF cheques?
• Independence: Are they intimidated by party leaders, or can they stand their ground for their constituency?

A separate survey by InfoTrak released earlier this year noted that 27% of an MP's performance rating is now tied to their management of public funds like NG-CDF. However, Kioko warns that oversight is “not begging for CDF crumbs.”

The message is clear: until we fix the legislative arm, changing the occupant of State House may not bring the relief Kenyans are desperate for. As the letter concludes, “We keep creating imperial presidents not because the office is inherently powerful, but because Parliament is chronically submissive.”