“Listen to Me” – Rails Pleads With MPs as They Disagree With Him at Karen (Video)
Members of Parliament repeatedly interrupted Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga on Monday, August 18, as he addressed the hotly debated issue of Parliament’s role and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Speaking during a joint meeting of ODM and UDA lawmakers at the KCB Leadership Centre in Karen, Nairobi, chaired by President William Ruto, Raila argued that Parliament’s constitutional role does not include implementing development projects. His remarks sparked strong reactions and heckling from MPs.
The former Prime Minister clarified that the Constitution clearly defines Parliament’s duties under three main functions: representation, law-making, and oversight.
“The work of Parliament is representation, legislation, and oversight. It is very clear in the Constitution. Parliament is not supposed to implement projects—it is supposed to provide oversight,” Raila said, as MPs continued to interrupt.
Raila further stressed that Kenya’s Constitution only recognizes two levels of devolution: the national government and the county governments. He dismissed claims that constituencies form part of the devolved system.
“There are only two levels of devolution—national and county. Constituencies are not devolved units,” he stated.
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Despite constant heckling, Raila pleaded with MPs to allow him to finish his remarks, urging them to respect differing opinions.
“Listen to me. Let me finish, then you will have your chance to respond. A famous English politician once said, I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it,” he appealed.
Raila also gave historical context on why the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was created. He explained that the fund was introduced to fix resource allocation challenges under the old centralized government, where grassroots areas received very little funding.
“I was there when the CDF was introduced. At that time, the centralized government hardly sent resources to the grassroots. That is why fundraising ‘Harambees’ became the norm. Sometimes, you could have nearly 100 invitations for different Harambees on your desk,” Raila recalled.
He added that during the one-party era, presidents would personally tour districts to address local issues. This, he said, highlighted the urgent need for alternative funding like CDF to support communities directly.
“Listen to Me” – Rails Pleads With MPs as They Disagree With Him at Karen (Video)
