MPs speak from their hideouts fearing wrath of irate protesters

Murang'a MP Betty Maina and Erick Wamumbi (Mathira) at Weithaga ACK Retreat Centre in Murang'a. [File, Standard]

The third arm of government is missing. Although MPs are supposed to check the government’s excesses against their people in the face of the unfolding crisis, they seem to have gone mute. 

The whereabouts of the majority of 349 MPs have in the last week been like a top secret even as the protests continue rocking the country, paralysing businesses as police gun down protesters.  After voting for the  Finance Bill, 2024, which they passed before going into recess.

Most of the MPs on July 2 told The Standard, that they have decided to lie low to avoid the anger of members of the public who have been targeting their homes and businesses as a punishment for passing the Finance Bill.

It is now emerging that over 20  homes or businesses of MPs have been attacked by the irate mob.

Some MPs told The Standard they have had to move their parents and close relatives from their rural homes and discard their vehicles to avoid protesters who are still baying for their blood.

 Most of the leaders didn’t attend Sunday services for fear of being smoked out by the furious youth who have vowed to ‘‘cleanse the pulpit which has been desecrated by politicians’’.

The politicians have also been forced out of social media platforms where they regularly engage with the electorate.

Leaders such as Murang’a Women Representative Betty Maina said she has 2,000 beehives ready for distribution to the youth groups but was wondering what to do as they have been restricted by the youth not to move.

On Sunday, she said she was forced to fellowship with her husband Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi since “they said they don’t want us in church yet we have been born and raised at the church’’.

“I now understand why Moses smashed down the tablet with 10 commandments,” she said.

Nominated MP Sabina Chege said her colleagues have kept off public places as their people were not ready to listen to them adding that other colleagues have been forced to relocate their families who were being targeted by the people.

“I feel for the families of MPs who are now being targeted by members of the public because they voted for the Finance Bill. Their children and parents had nothing to do with the voting and it is unfortunate that they are bearing the biggest brunt. Everybody can make mistakes and MPs and the President are no exception,” she told The Standard on the phone.

Asked whether the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula should recall the House to provide leadership in times of crisis, Ms Chege said: ‘‘I don’t think this has anything to do with the Parliament, we did our part and the President withdrew the Bill. We just give people time to relax because they are unreasonable and the more you talk the more you make things worse.”

While describing the unfolding of events as a sad state of affairs, Chege said Kenya was looking bad internationally and that some international organisations such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) have been forced to cancel meetings.

Nyeri Town MP Dancun Mathenge said “You can’t approach a charged bull. It will strike you and you can’t not try to engage with a person with a panga as he slashes you.”

He said those who oppose the Finance Bill do not want to listen to anything from them, a move that has forced them to give their electorate ‘‘a cooling off’’ to allow their anger to go down them engage them.