That Awendo MP John Walter Awino has been adjudged as one of the most silent MPs in the current Parliament, has not come as a surprise to those who know him.
It is now emerging that Mr Awino or Wally as he is fondly known never went past class four and that he might have forged his academic papers to be where he is.
According to our source, the MP failed to clinch the seat in his first attempt because Awendo constituents use to pork fun at his academic credentials.
” When he was campaigning people always reminded him that he never schooled in the afternoon to mean that he never went past class three to be precise so I am not shocked that he is not able to articulate issues in parliament,” said a resident of Awendo who opted to remain anonymous.
In the report, Owino was listed alongside Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and Nakuru Town West’s Samuel Arama and 16 others for not speaking in 2019.
The organisation said the legislators had consistently failed to make a contribution at the plenary, saying their poor performance undermined the role of the House.
According to the Annual Parliamentary Scorecard for the third Session of the 12th Parliament released yesterday, a total of 21 members did not utter a single word during the entire session.
Of the 21, 19 are from the National Assembly with two being from the Senate. Male legislators dominate the list.
However, speaking to the Star, Walter Owino who also runs the Security Firm Gillys termed the report as fake and a political witch-hunt .
The legislator said he had spoken several times on the floor of the House and even sponsored a bill in 2017 on sugar cane sector and privatisation.
He said the report released Wednesday by Mzalendo Trust, a parliamentary monitoring organization, was ill-advised.
“They should correctly check the Hansard report, peruse through YouTube for official Parliament videos and even check the press. I have spoken several times,” Owino said.
Others who have never uttered a word at the Plenary include Nakuru Town West MP Samuel Arama and his Kapseret counterpart Oscar Sudi who while being vocal in other matters outside the August House, find no words inside parliament as legislators debate serious issues concerning their constituents.
The other silent MPs include Abdi Tepo (Isiolo South), Abdi Shurie (Balambala), Ahmed Gaal (Tarbaj), Johnson Naicca (Mumias West), Amin Deddy (Laikipia East) Geofrey Kingagi (Mbeere South), James Gakuya (Embakasi North), and George Aladwa (Makadara).
The rest are Stanley Muthama (Lamu West), Gideon Konchella (Kilgoris), Justus Kizito (Shinyalu), Alfred Sambu (Webuye East) and James Mukwe (Kabuchai).
Rose Museo (Makueni), Beatrice Kones (Bomet East) and Amina Gedow (Mandera) were the silent women in the House.
Mr Owino is the only docile Luo MP in the list.
In a report released Wednesday morning by Mzalendo Trust, a Parliamentary monitoring organisation, the best performing MPs at the National Assembly were Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), David Sankok (Nominated), Wilberforce Ojiambo (Funyula), Robert Pukose (Endebess) and Benson Makali (Kitui Central).
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The leading lights at the Senate were Ledama Ole Kina (Narok), Moses Wetangula (Bungoma), Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho), Ochilo Ayako (Migori) and Getrude Musuruve (Nominated).
Millie Odhiambo, Jacqueline Oduol (Nominated), Jennifer Shamala (Nominated), Ruweida Obo (Lamu) and Sophia Noor (Ijara) were the top-performing women in the National Assembly.
The scorecard, released annually, aims at enhancing transparency and accountability and is based on members’ contributions in Plenary as captured in the Hansard.
“Every so often, we get queries from members about the performance of their MPs. The scorecard is therefore a way of enforcing the social contract between MPs and the electorate, as they exercise delegated authority on behalf of the citizens,” Mzalendo Trust Executive Director, Caroline Gaita, said.
