Analyst: MPs who avoid Finance Bill 2026 voting should not seek re-election

Political analyst Fanya Mambo Kinuthia has criticised Members of Parliament who abstain from key legislative votes, arguing that elected leaders cannot avoid making decisions on issues that directly affect citizens and still claim to represent their constituencies.

Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Kinuthia said lawmakers should take clear positions on major national issues rather than sidestep politically sensitive votes.

“You must have a spine,” he said.“You wake up every day, you are unpacking problems — finance, economics — and then on the day when you are supposed to use your vote, you run away.”

His remarks come amid growing debate over parliamentary participation following the passage of Kenya's Finance Bill 2026, where attendance by lawmakers drew public scrutiny.

Out of the National Assembly's 349 members, only 162 participated in the decisive vote, with 122 supporting the Bill and 40 voting against it, while 187 MPs did not take part in the process.

Kinuthia argued that absentee lawmakers effectively silence the people who elected them because parliamentary voting remains one of the core responsibilities of an MP.

“The person who does not vote means that their whole constituency had no say on the Finance Bill,” he said.

“If I represent a constituency and I refuse to vote, it means they had no say on choosing whether prices of commodities go up or down,” he added.

The analyst further maintained that parliamentary accountability should not be optional and revealed he was considering legal avenues aimed at compelling lawmakers to take positions during major votes.

“One of the things we are discussing with a constitutional lawyer friend of mine is how we can file a petition in court and make a declaration that it is illegal for an elected Member of Parliament to abstain from voting,” he said.

Kinuthia also issued a warning to lawmakers who repeatedly avoid crucial votes, saying voters may eventually hold them accountable at the ballot.

“We didn't pay you to go and shout in Parliament,” he said. “Any person can make news about the Finance Bill, but a Member of Parliament has the power to vote.”

He insisted that elected leaders who repeatedly fail to exercise that responsibility risk losing public confidence ahead of future elections.

https://twitter.com/RadioGenKe/status/2073997785402056791