How about we abolish either national assembly or senate?

By PETER WANYONYI

Irish politicians are still shaking in their boots. Ten days ago, a historic vote was held on the Emerald Isle, with just one question: Whether or not the Irish voter wanted to abolish the Upper House — senate, of their parliament. Due to poor weather, turnout at the referendum was not so high — just 40 per cent of eligible voters showed up to cast their ballots.

The result: A slim majority of 51.7 per cent voted to retain the Senate.

 The 48.3 per cent who voted to abolish the useless body — a move that would save the indebted little country more than US$27 million a year — have vowed to come back again next year. Kenyan voters will be weeping with envy. If ever there was a body stuffed with useless politicians, it has to be Kenya’s Parliament and Senate.

Outrageously paid

 A recent survey by a business magazine discovered — but we already knew it — that Kenya’s politicians are the most outrageously paid in the whole world, with their pay being an astonishing 97 times that of the average citizen.

What would we lose by abolishing parliament? First, we would lose ethnic clashes. We fight and kill each other every time there is an election.

I mean, we fight before the election, during the election, and after the election. Abolish parliament and you abolish this pointless violence! Second, we would get rid of the theft of public funds.

Politicians in Kenya don’t campaign using their own money; they steal our money to do it. And all for what? Get rid of them, and our money is safe!

Most important, we would be getting rid of a national shame.

 Our politicians do little more than steal money and embarrass us to hell and back. Let’s be rid of the lot — what’s there to lose? We can always do without one of the parliaments.