Parliament Has Been Captured By Executive, Senator Osotsi Says On Ruto’s Naivasha Meeting
Senator Godfrey Osotsi of Vihiga characterized the parliamentary group meeting held on Monday and chaired by President William Ruto as the most evident sign that the Executive has gained control over the Legislature.
During the Naivasha meeting, Ruto advocated for a more accountable Legislature that allows the Executive to fulfill its responsibilities, according to his description.
Senator Osotsi suggests that Ruto’s statements about how lawmakers should perform their duties indicate the Executive branch’s influence on Members of Parliament.
“We have been talking about the State capture of parliament. Yesterday was the clearest indication that parliament has been captured by the Executive. Members of Parliament were being lectured by the Head of State on what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to vote,” the senator said during Tuesday’s Day Break program on Citizen TV.
“When he talked about disloyalty about the Affordable Housing Bill; that they need to pass it yet the courts have pronounced itself on the issue of housing levy,” he added.
He mentioned President Ruto urging legislators to approve the controversial Affordable Housing Bill to implement the housing pillar of his administration. This comes despite the High Court and the Court of Appeal declaring the housing tax unconstitutional.
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“Housing remains one of our key agendas. As the parliament, the ball is in your court. You have the bill already. What is remaining?” President Ruto said on Monday.
According to Osotsi, what Ruto directed MPs to do is unlawful. He said: “That bill went through public participation and the majority of the people who appeared before the parliamentary committee rejected it. So where is the space for public participation?”
In his view, parliament will disregard the public participation results based on “what was discussed in the meeting and the directions the Kenya Kwanza MPs were given.”
Ruto last week said lawmakers should pass the bill “without asking a lot of questions.”
In January, the Court of Appeal refused to temporarily halt a High Court directive that deemed the housing levy unconstitutional.
Judges Lydia Achode, John Mativo, and Paul Gachoka of the Appellate Court emphasized the significance of public interest in the case, underscoring the High Court’s decision that the housing levy had been implemented without a proper legal framework.
Parliament Has Been Captured By Executive, Senator Osotsi Says On Ruto’s Naivasha Meeting