Controversial Adani deals expose impotence of MPs

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. [AFP]

The cancellation of the unpopular deals with Indian multi-billionaire Gautam Adani’s companies has yet again exposed legislators' dereliction of duty for failing to oversight the government in executing mega deals.

The parliamentarians, who are expected to be stewards and watchdogs for public resources, have recently come out as puppets and President William Ruto’s cheerleaders. They failed to reject the impugned Finance Bill 2024, and with the Adani deal’s cancellation, they have failed the second time.

It’s instructive to note that when the President announced his decision to cancel the proposed deal owing to the “new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations” the same MPs and senators who had been cheering the multibillion shillings as Kenyans protested, gave him a standing ovation yet they never expressed any dissatisfaction with them.

Now, a section of legislators who are President Ruto’s critics contend that Parliament lost its mandate and, as a result, MPs have lost favour with the electorate.

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba says Parliament has been operating as an extension of the State and that the President has been using the MPs as a litmus paper for his intended projects so that when the public opposes his intention, he drops it to be seen as a listening and caring president at the detriment of the MPs.

“He directed MPs to approve the Finance Bill 2024 and when the members of the public rejected the same, he conceded and refused to assent it into law. Ironically, the very same MPs who had defied public anger to pass the Bill, flanked the President while making his announcement and clapped for him.  The President has indeed thrown the MPs under the bus for many times,” Wamuchomba said.

The MP claims that as a result of the tight corner that the MPs had been pushed to by the President, the majority of them cannot visit their constituents freely as they have been labelled traitors for being loyal to the President instead of their bosses; the electorate.

Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo believes that the legislators had forfeited their mandate to the Executive. He says Parliament has been captured by the Executive and Kenyans are on their own.

Free country

“The lawmakers are no longer free to carry out their duties without external influence. Their brains have been permanently deleted and replaced by only one person. We don’t have a parliament. What we have is just a majority group which unfortunately got a boost after the ODM MPs joined them,” Maanzo said.

The senator says although Kenyans were under siege, they were not under capture like the MPs and they have the power to free Parliament in the 2027 general elections.

“Kenyans are the only ones who have the ability to free the country by voting out MPs who have connived with the Executive to implement oppressive policies that are not pro-people,” he said.

ALSO READ: Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani charged in US over massive bribery scheme

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, while accusing his colleagues in the National Assembly of ceding their power to State House over the division of revenue stalemate, called for the dissolution of Parliament.

“There are things that are simply unacceptable to a person who understands the Constitution and believes in the purity of the doctrine of separation of powers. It cannot be possible that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi is the one telling MPs that the only money he can give county governments is Sh380 billion. Then what is the role of Parliament? We should dissolve Parliament, let Mbadi make all the decisions on the monies to be disbursed,” Sifuna said.

He observed that MPs were subjecting themselves to an institution they are supposed to oversee, maintaining that the Budget is not prepared by the Executive, since the Executive is not a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly.

“I want to challenge MPs because it can’t be that whenever the President says something is bad, we also say it is bad and when he says it is good, we all agree it is good. It makes us look very bad as though we don’t have a voice on our own,” Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia notes.  

However, government leaders welcomed the President’s decision noting that they support the President’s vision for the country.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who has been among the biggest defenders of the proposals praised President Ruto’s speech calling it a very powerful statement that addressed pressing concerns.

He particularly lauded the President’s announcement cancelling the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and the energy sector deals linked to Indian billionaire Gautam Adani.

“The President was very blunt and direct in the statement he made. It is a major sigh of relief to Kenyans and has set a new bar for those seeking partnerships with us. Any partners must come with clean hands and integrity,” Mudavadi said.

“We supported the President but many Kenyans did not support Adani. So, we were in a bit of a problem. But now, the President has listened to Kenyans and cancelled the deals,” Matungu MP Oscar Nabulindo said. 

While a majority of MPs have been silent on the Adani deals while others have been supporting it, the Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, chaired by David Pkosing (Pokot West), on September 25, directed the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to suspend all further engagements with Adani group until a special audit of the tender award process is conducted.

 “It is the advice of the committee that you don’t do anything with Adani until this committee reports this matter to Parliament,” Pkosing directed.