MPs under pressure to "pay back" constituents, says report

The growing culture of "handouts" which politicians give to their constituents in return for their political survival was this week blamed for promoting corruption and dependency among communities in Kenya. In a new publication outlining the expenditure patterns of some members of parliament in Kenya, it emerged that many politicians in the country find themselves under pressure to issue money to meet the basic needs of their constituents - such as paying school fees and medical bills - without which they risk not being re-elected. The study entitled "Paying the Public or Caring for Constituents" was co-sponsored by the Kenyan chapter of Transparency International, and the German based foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. It said local MPs were under considerable pressure by their constituents to "pay back" the favour of being elected. The study, launched in Nairobi on Thursday, also found that whatever was spent by the MPs on handouts far exceeded their salaries, a fact which pointed to corrupt practices. "Whereas it is philanthropic to participate in community development efforts as well as to help people in need, it is wrong to measure MPs' performance based on such activities," said the report. Launching the publication, Minister for Regional Development Musikari Kombo blamed the growing public demand for handouts on extreme poverty in most parts of the country, rising unemployment and economic decline, resulting from past failures of the state to deliver meaningful development to its people. "There is a misconception among the public that parliamentarians are elected to play the role of basic providers," he said. "The big question is how to educate the public to understand the role of parliamentarians." Kenyan parliamentarians are considered to be among some of the best-paid in the world, following hefty salary increases earlier this year that pushed their monthly pay to about US $8,000. The study, however, noted that although the culture of handouts promoted corrupt practices among politicians, including vote buying, the "power of the purse" in many cases had little influence on election outcomes. "Kenyans are very enlightened about their democratic values," Noah Wekesa, one of the seven MPs included in the study said, citing his own experience during previous unsuccessful attempts to contest a parliamentary seat. "If you are close to your constituents, available to them and act on their concerns, then you stand a better chance of being re-elected than if you dish out money to them," he added.