Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo calls for parliament independency on October 22, 2025. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]
Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo has warned that Kenya’s Parliament is increasingly losing its independence in legislative affairs.
Amollo accused the Executive of capturing legislative processes through political convenience and manipulation.
Speaking on Spice FM, Amollo said the growing influence of the Executive and the Speaker’s partiality were undermining parliamentary democracy.
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“Parliament needs to be more independent than it is because collectively we are supposed to check the Executive,” Amollo said.
“When the Speaker is a leader of one of the parties forming the government coalition, then you understand why Parliament may not be as robust as it should be.”
He lamented the use of what he called “legislation by ambush,” citing the sudden reintroduction of the Privatisation of Kenya Pipeline Authority Bill, which was passed within
minutes after being quietly added to the order paper.
“Even before some of us got to the Chamber, it had already been endorsed. I am on record questioning the Speaker’s misuse of the order paper,” Amollo noted.
He warned that Parliament’s growing tendency to rubber-stamp government proposals undermined its constitutional duty.
“The broad-based government has created a super majority that passes even questionable legislation without scrutiny. Collectively, we are failing Kenyans,” he stated.
Amollo, a senior ODM legislator and constitutional lawyer, said many MPs were afraid to question bills for fear of being branded as opponents of the broad-based government.
“When you raise concerns, you are accused of being against the unity pact. Yet the ten-point agreement with the government does not say we must support every legislation
even if it is wrong,” he explained.
Reflecting on his close working relationship with the late Raila Odinga, Amollo said, “Many times, people would claim Baba had instructed them to vote a certain way. I had the
privilege of calling him directly, and he would often say he had not discussed the matter. His passing might actually allow more independent thinking in Parliament,” he said.
He stressed that Parliament must rediscover its constitutional purpose, calling on legislators to uphold integrity and courage.
“Even if we lose in numbers, we must continue speaking against wrong laws. Every decision we make will face public and judicial scrutiny. Parliament must be the conscience of the nation, not its echo,” he stated.
According to Amollo, ODM legislators are duty-bound to advance the people’s agenda within Parliament, including commitments under the Ruto–Raila framework.
“There are areas where progress has been made, but many more are lagging behind. We must ensure Parliament follows through on these agreements independently, not under
executive pressure,” he admitted.
Among the unresolved issues, Amollo cited the two-thirds gender rule and police reforms.
“We are still discussing how to meet the two-thirds rule without overburdening taxpayers. Some want to amend the Constitution to add 91 seats but can we sustain that
financially?” he said.
He added that the legacy of Raila Odinga demanded stronger legislative oversight.
“We live in a pressure-cooker society where people want instant results. But reforms take time. Raila understood that,” he said.
Amollo also expressed concern over state influence on party positions, urging MPs to reclaim their oversight mandate.
“Parliament is not an appendage of the executive. It must speak boldly and defend its independence,” Amollo stated.
“Raila always respected Parliament as a place of ideas. He never wanted puppets. That’s the culture we must preserve, independent thought and fearless debate.”
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Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo calls for parliament independency on October 22, 2025.
[Benard Orwongo, Standard]
Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo has warned that Kenya’s
Parliament is increasingly losing
its independence in legislative affairs.
Amollo accused the Executive of capturing legislative processes through political convenience and manipulation.
Speaking on Spice FM, Amollo said the growing influence of the Executive and the Speaker’s partiality were undermining parliamentary democracy.
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
“Parliament needs to be more independent than it is because collectively we are supposed to check the Executive,” Amollo said.
“When the Speaker is a leader of one of the parties
forming the government coalition
, then you understand why Parliament may not be as robust as it should be.”
He lamented the use of what he called “legislation by ambush,” citing the sudden reintroduction of the Privatisation of Kenya Pipeline Authority Bill, which was passed within
minutes after being quietly added to the order paper.
“Even before some of us got to the Chamber, it had already been endorsed. I am on record questioning the Speaker’s misuse of the order paper,” Amollo noted.
He warned that Parliament’s growing tendency to rubber-stamp government proposals undermined its constitutional duty.
“The broad-based government has created a super majority that passes even questionable legislation without scrutiny. Collectively, we are failing Kenyans,” he stated.
Amollo, a senior ODM legislator and constitutional lawyer, said many MPs were afraid to question bills for fear of being branded as opponents of the broad-based government.
“When you raise concerns, you are accused of being against the unity pact. Yet the ten-point agreement with the government does not say we must support every legislation
even if it is wrong,” he explained.
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Reflecting on his close working relationship with the late Raila Odinga, Amollo said, “Many times,
people would claim Baba
had instructed them to vote a certain way. I had the
privilege of calling him directly, and he would often say he had not discussed the matter. His passing might actually allow more independent thinking in Parliament,” he said.
He stressed that Parliament must rediscover its constitutional purpose, calling on legislators to uphold integrity and courage.
“Even if we lose in numbers, we must continue speaking against wrong laws. Every decision we make will face public and judicial scrutiny. Parliament must be the conscience of the nation, not its echo,” he stated.
According to Amollo, ODM legislators are duty-bound to advance the people’s agenda within Parliament, including commitments under the Ruto–Raila framework.
“There are areas where progress has been made, but many more are lagging behind. We must ensure Parliament follows through on these agreements independently, not under
executive pressure,” he admitted.
Among the unresolved issues, Amollo cited the two-thirds gender rule and police reforms.
“We are still discussing how to meet the two-thirds rule without overburdening taxpayers. Some want to amend the Constitution to add 91 seats but can we sustain that
financially?” he said.
He added that the legacy of Raila Odinga demanded stronger legislative oversight.
“We live in a pressure-cooker society where people want instant results. But reforms take time.
Raila understood that
,” he said.
Amollo also expressed concern over state influence on party positions, urging MPs to reclaim their oversight mandate.
“Parliament is not an appendage of the executive. It must speak boldly and defend its independence,” Amollo stated.
“Raila always respected Parliament as a place of ideas. He never wanted puppets. That’s the culture we must preserve, independent thought and fearless debate.”
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channel
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By Mike Kihaki