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Minister faults legislators for unnecessary trips

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Published on Tuesday, 25 November 2008 21:48
Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka said some of the trips made by MPs were unnecessary. Mr Onyonka demanded that the Speaker ensures that the MPs strictly make only three trips a year. But National Assembly Clerk Patrick Gichuhi defended MPs’ travels abroad saying the trips were crucial and important.

Onyonka said the MPs’ expenditure was extravagant and must be stopped, adding that the trips were of no value to the country."Some of the trips are honestly unnecessary. Some MPs go out for fun and do not add any value to the common man at all," said the Kitutu Chache MP. "The trips are too many and they are also to blame for lack of quorum in the House in most cases," added Onyonka.

He challenged fellow MPs to make good their pledges that they were to cut Government expenditure during their tenure. Said he: "We should be ready to be taxed like other Kenyans. We must be ready to bring about the necessary legislations that will see us lead by example."


Gichuhi, who is also the accounting officer of Parliament, said the House was within its budgetary spending and travels had not affected the institution. In an interview with The Standard at Parliament Gichuhi said 70 per cent of the 210 members of the Tenth Parliament were new and therefore needed exposure in terms of how Parliament works.

"Some of them came here for the first time and do not know how a Bill is prepared or even how committees work," he added. Gichohi said it was important for the MPs to travel out of the country for exposure on how other parliaments operate. He noted that this was important, as it was part and parcel of the MPs’ work to familiarise themselves with other countries especially those within the Commonwealth.

Gichohi was reacting to The Standard’s main story yesterday in which it was reported that MPs were spending tens of millions of shillings in non-essential trips abroad every month. In the story, 145 MPs have so far spent more than Sh116 million on travel since March — and there are six more months to go before the next financial year.