90 MP, MCA on US trip, new details show

Nearly a few days after lawmakers united to refute a report by the Daily Nation of Kenya sending a large delegation to the US to attend the conference, new details have emerged that the previous figure of 85 delegates was downplayed.

Five other leaders went to the US to attend the legislative conference, whose agenda included tasting country music and getting inspirational lectures from singer Song Dolly Parton, bringing the total number of MPs, senators, environmental representatives and Parliament staff to 90.

Sources said the figure was actually higher, because some of those who traveled did not register for the conference.

The Saturday Nation learned that senators Agnes Zani (ODM, nominated), Fredrick Outa (Kisumu), Meru, Joseph Kaberia and MCA Job Bundi and Victor Karithi were registered as additional participants from Kenya by organizers.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga was the first to instigate the waste of taxpayers' money, criticizing legislators for perpetuating "a culture of waste and living a great life at the expense of taxpayers".

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Speaking at the Media Council tonight's gala last night, Mr Odinga said that Kenya sent a delegation of 90 people to the US conference, adding that it was embarrassing to send such a large delegation at the expense of taxpayers.

He demanded that Parliament apologize to the people of Kenya for spending taxpayers' money on such trips, noting that the US was only represented by six delegates, Nigeria 20, Brazil 9 and Japan 6.

He revealed that he had his own source at the conference who leaked information from the Kenyan delegation to him.



Kenya gave the largest number of participants at the State Legislative National Conference (NCSL) in Nashville, Tennessee, at the time of President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration proposing cuts to foreign travel as part of various austerity measures.

The only other country to send a large delegation is Nigeria, which flew 20 legislators to the US before adding two more.

Many other countries send one to six delegates. They include Indonesia (one), Portugal (two) and Japan (six).

MISUSE FUNDS

Neighbors in neighboring Uganda sent three people, Mr. James Mukaga (assistant chief clerk), Mrs. Jane Rozse Semakula Ikiror (assistant director, Parliament) and Sitnah Cherotich (assistant director, Parliament).

The world's riches and superpowers, the US, which is hosting the conference, has nine key representatives.

Reliable reports indicate that Kenyan representatives at the conference which officially began on Monday and ended on Thursday could be more than 100, because some of the hangers accompanying the VIPs are not listed on the official conference list.

Although Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Musa Cheboi promised to issue communications about the apology, the MPs requested the Council's break to rest on Thursday without mentioning the trip.

The question on Friday was asked why Parliament had not yet provided an official list of its representatives to the summit to collaborate issued by the conference organizers and clear the gray area.

Both Houses, the Senate and the National Assembly, were also in place to explain why they paid some staff who actually did not have a role at the conference, to attend at taxpayer fees.

LIST OF DELEGATION

The Saturday Nation knows that part of the DPR leadership informally meets on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to negotiate how to deal with issues that have revealed the greed and scandal of our leaders' spending.

While several Kenyan delegations were invited to the conference since April because they were on the technical and steering committee, including senators Kihika Kimani and Mutula Kilonzo Jr., most of the delegation members were joyriders.

Apart from legislators from the bicameral Parliament, the others who flew to the US were clerks, staff and people whose duties were not as clear as