Kenyan Parliament

I thank the Parliament of Kenya and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for the opportunity to participate in these post-election seminars for the 13th Parliament and the 4th Senate about opportunities and challenges for members. I will add to these remarks in my subsequent presentations.

I benefitted in my political life from opportunities like this seminar to meet and discuss matters of mutual interest with representatives throughout the world.

Let me begin with a caveat. Although we share many things in common, being Commonwealth nations, I also appreciate that there are differences in our constitutional and governing structures. Australia is a parliamentary system, for example, whereas Kenya had a presidential system. The Kenyan Senate is elected from the counties and has special responsibilities for the budgetary allocations to the counties, yet senators are also members of the national Parliament.

Therefore, I offer my comments from an Australian perspective by which you may make a comparison, even if our experiences differ. My comments are necessarily at a general level, but I hope they provide material for useful reflection, if not precise application. They reflect matters which I wish I had been told when I was first elected to the Australian Parliament over 30 years ago.

There are many instrumental things of importance for a member of Parliament. These include understanding the constitution and the powers of the legislature, and their limitations. Equally, learning the Standing Orders is most useful. I will not dwell on these matters, other than to indicate their significance.

My primary observation is that achieving outcomes involves hard work that requires persistence and perseverance and the ability to cooperate with other members of Parliament. Informal networking with colleagues is a critical part of being an effective member of Parliament.

There are some general practical matters I endeavoured to apply to my work as a member of Parliament.

First, we have an expression in Australia that “there are no votes in Canberra.” Your equivalent would be “there are no votes in Nairobi” - unless your constituency is in that city.

In other words, the people who elect you reside in your constituency: you are their representative. You should be concerned primarily with their voice in Nairobi, not Nairobi’s voice in your constituency. Of course, you have to convey - often argue for - the position taken by your party once collective decisions have been made, but your primary role is to advocate on behalf of your constituents’ interests.

Don’t be enticed by the view of the media and others who do not necessarily share the views of your constituents.

Secondly, the corollary of this is: know your electorate and the challenges facing your constituents.

Thirdly, any Parliamentary achievement requires patience and cooperation with others MPs. Let me give you an example.

One of my motivations for standing for Parliament was to improve the range of supports for families with children, which I believed was inadequate at the time. Although I advocated for a series of measures - in my party, in the parliament and in public - I achieved little other than rhetorical support from some of my colleagues for many years.

Only when I became chairman of a Parliamentary Committee was I able to convince the relevant minister to ask the committee to inquire into aspects of the matter. I then worked with colleagues on a bipartisan basis to produce a unanimous report and recommendations. The government of the time accepted most of the proposals and implemented some, but not all, of them.

Only when I became the Minister for Social Services - 23 years after I was first elected - was I able to implement some of the other recommendations. Perseverance, persistence and cooperation are critical to success.

Fourthly, become an expert in a policy area. As Members of Parliament, we require a superficial knowledge of all issues: it is what our constituents expect when they ask us about an issue that concerns or interests them.

But it is useful, I believe, to have a detailed knowledge or one of two areas of policy. I spent at least an hour a day reading in my chosen areas of expertise. A government’s budget reflects the policy priorities of the government. Understanding in detail the policy considerations of sections of the budget is a valuable resource. As the longest-serving Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, once observed, if you get the policy right, the politics will follow.

Fifthly, remember that people will not appreciate a solution unless they understand the problem you are trying to address and resolve. Often, I have witnessed colleagues - even governments - propose solutions to problems or challenges they identified, but the public did not understand or appreciate. Unless you have spent the time identifying the problem, the solution is unlikely to be accepted.

Finally, may I add a few personal things that are important.

Being a member of Parliament is a 24/7 job. Few people outside of parliament understand the constant pressures and demands involved. It is critical to maintain your own equilibrium and personal time. But unless you plan for it, the pressure of your commitments will crowd out other activities.

I suggest three things. First, put aside at least an hour a day for yourself - to relax, to exercise, to think, to reflect. Secondly, keep your friends. Whether your parliamentary life is short or long, it will come to an end. If you haven’t maintained regular connections with your friends, they won’t be there when your term ends. And remember, your parliamentary colleagues are generally your associates, not your friends! Importantly, plan regular time with your family. If you don’t, they will have grown up without you. Making time, each day and/or week, for yourself, your friends and your family, is critical. Plan for it.

May I wish you well in your efforts to “improve the welfare and the just government” of the people of Kenya.

The Hon Kevin Andrews served in the Australian House of Representatives from 1991 - 2022. He also held various Cabinet and ministerial positions, including Minister for Social Services and Minister for Defence. He chaired and served on many Parliamentary committees.