Wamalwa slams parliament over Finance Bill 2026, says MPs failed Kenyans

DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa has accused Parliament of failing in its core duty to represent Kenyans, saying lawmakers have allowed policies that have increased the cost of living while weakening the institution's independence from the Executive.

Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Wamalwa said many Kenyans were struggling under the weight of taxation, yet Parliament had not done enough to defend their interests. He argued that legislators had increasingly sided with the Executive instead of standing with the people who elected them.

"It's an abdication, the cardinal responsibility of any member of parliament is representation. We are supposed to represent the people who are suffering out there," he said.

Wamalwa linked the rising cost of living to tax measures introduced over the past few years, particularly levies imposed on fuel, which he said had pushed up the prices of goods and services across the economy.

"The minute we doubled VAT on fuel in 2023 that's where the rain started beating us," he said. "Then the following year we added the road maintenance levy... so everything just kept going from bottom up."

His remarks come amid growing public debate over the passage of the Finance Bill 2026 and the number of MPs who did not take part in the final vote on June 18, 2026.

The National Assembly passed the Bill at the Third Reading stage after 122 MPs voted in support while 40 opposed it. However, a large number of legislators were absent during the vote, attracting criticism from sections of the public and on social media.

The absence of some MPs who had publicly questioned parts of the Bill further fueled the backlash. Among them was Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who had repeatedly expressed concern over fuel prices and government borrowing but did not participate in the final vote.

Responding to the criticism, Nyoro admitted that his absence had disappointed many Kenyans.

"The vote for the Finance Bill happened yesterday; disappointingly, I was not in Parliament," Nyoro said in a statement, adding: "But no explanation should absolve the blame."

He said he had taken part in committee discussions and debates on the Bill, but argued that Parliament was going through "an unprecedented phase where both the Majority and the Minority leadership are on the same side."

Kathiani MP Robert Mbui also faulted lawmakers who skipped the proceedings, saying Parliament had failed to show up on one of its most important days.

"To see more than half the House miss the Finance Bill debate and also miss in the eventual voting is really wrong because members of parliament are among some of the highest-paid people in this country and should show up on the most important day in the calendar of parliament," he said.

Wamalwa maintained that the concerns raised by Kenyans went beyond the Finance Bill vote itself and pointed to what he described as a wider problem within Parliament.

"What we are seeing is an abdication, a parliament that is captured that is not representative of the will of the people," he said.

He also voiced concern about the state of independent institutions, warning that pressure on oversight bodies could threaten the country's democratic system.

"We are also getting very worried that the only line of defence, or the last line of defence, for this country now is the judiciary," Wamalwa said. "If the judiciary is also overcome, then literally our democracy is in danger."