This archive report was first published on 7 August 2019.
On August 7, 2019, Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga demanded answers from the Senate and National Assembly following a report that Parliament would spend tens of millions of shillings for lawmakers to attend a conference in the United States.
The report stated that taxpayer money would cater for flights and accommodation for 85 legislators and members of staff, the largest in the world, to attend a legislative assembly in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mr. Odinga noted that the National Assembly had threatened the media house and demanded an apology, but this display of anger did not clear the House and its leaders.
Instead, it betrayed a collective sense of guilt, he said, adding that he differed with the position that the House took.
Mr. Odinga regretted that the relevance of the conference to the public and the lawmakers was unknown and demanded an explanation.
He accused the National Assembly of misusing its powers and assuming that it was beyond scrutiny, and even worse, pretending it could intimidate the media into abandoning its watchdog role.
