As peaceful and unarmed protesters stormed the Kenyan parliament building to voice their opposition to the 2024 Finance Bill, shocked Members of Parliament scrambled for safety in secure locations. Among them was Githun
guri MP Gathoni Wa Muchomba, who witnessed what has been termed an extra-judicial killing right outside the parliament building. As the day wore on, she and a few Kenya Kwanza members who voted NO, along with some Azimio MPs, walked out of parliament singing.
"In the process of walking, gunfire erupted. We could hear machine guns. We moved towards the parliament gate but were forced back to the veranda. From there, I saw men in golden hoods; we couldn't tell if they were police. They knelt down and started shooting at the parliament grills and towards the Senate," she recalled the chilling events that led to the loss of young, unarmed Gen Zs.
What remained was an immeasurable loss that continues to reverberate today. According to Wa Muchomba, the protesters would retrieve the bodies of those hit by bullets and retreat while others charged forward, despite MPs' unsuccessful attempts to dissuade the armed police.
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She and other lawmakers watched everything unfold with the devastating realization that promising and brave young people had been viciously murdered. "These young people were so brave. Despite the vicious attack, they collected the bodies of those hit by bullets and placed them right in front of the parliament gate," she told Citizen Digital.
As many Kenyans continue to struggle to come to terms with the harrowing events of the past three weeks, Wa Muchomba remains disturbed, noting it is one of the worst tragedies in Kenyan history, yet it could have been avoided. "I saw those children lifting their hands, screaming 'we are peaceful!' They shouted 'we are many!' and the machine guns would roar.
They would fall down and stand up again while shouting 'we are peaceful.' Some were shot while kneeling. It was a painful image to watch; I could not sleep for two days," she said.
The outspoken parliamentarian, often seen as a thorn in the flesh of Kenya Kwanza for her opposition to the president's views, felt vindicated when the president conceded and withdrew the bill after immense pressure from Kenyans. She emphasized that the country cannot heal and move forward if its leaders do not empathize with what Kenyans are going through.
She described those who lost their lives during the peaceful demonstration as heroes of economic freedom, not criminals as portrayed.
"Those who lost their lives should be given a state funeral. The government of Kenya should cover the hospital bills and provide compensation to the families. What is more important: the finance bill or the lives of Kenyans?" she said.
Wa Muchomba notes that for the nation to move forward, the political class, including the president, must apologize to Kenyans. "I apologize on behalf of the political class in Kenya for not listening to the opinions of young people and for pushing them to the extent where they had to lose their lives for the bill to be withdrawn.
It is very unfortunate that the president had to wait until it became what it is for him to withdraw the bill," she added.
She advises her counterparts to remember that they are not the bosses of their voters but their representatives. "Many parliamentarians are not visiting their villages because they cannot face them. They sent us to represent them; Kenyans did not send us to parliament to kill or oppress them.
They did not send us to parliament to fund our opulent lifestyles. They sent us to parliament to represent their opinions, their needs, and their livelihoods, and we have immensely failed them," she said.
According to her, parliament has been hijacked by MPs who act like the executive and are willing to defend oppressive bills. "It is time to reclaim parliament from those who think they are the executive and stand up to defend bills from the executive, forgetting their role as parliamentarians. It pains me to see bills that are oppressive and suppressive being championed," she said.
Wa Muchomba suggests a holistic restructuring rather than a mere reshuffle to solve the ongoing crisis in the country, describing the current state as a torn hem on a garment. "We need to revisit every government agency, including parliament. The mess that killed our children started in parliament. Reshuffling the cabinet will not solve the main issue," she said.
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