occupy parliament kenya

Occupy Parliament: An Uprising Against Collective Greed of Kenyan MPs, May 14 2013 @ Uhuru Park – Freedom Corner

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occupy parliament kenya
On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, peaceful demonstrators will occupy Parliament buildings in Nairobi to protest against an attempt by Members of Parliament to arm-twist the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) into yielding to the MPs’ demands for indefinitely higher pay.

The act of occupying Parliament by members of the general public shall symbolize the power and pre-eminence of the public over persons who hold elective office.

In the recent past, local MPs have made concerted attempts to usurp SRC’s mandate of regulating salaries and apportioning the national wage budget across the public sector. Indeed, caving in to MPs’ pressure to disband SRC, the Sarah Serem-led commission surprisingly decided to award MPs a tax-free grant of Sh5 million each for the purchase of vehicles. Negotiations to have MPs salaries increased are ongoing.

Objectives of Operation Occupy Parliament
1. Using the power of numbers, we seek to give Kenyans the courage to defend their Constitution, which Parliament has endeavoured to overthrow by threatening to disband a constitutionally established body;

2. We want to make Members of Parliament aware that the days of parliamentary dictatorship are over. MPs cannot—and must not!—be self-regulating; they must be answerable to the people;

3. We want to send home the message that no one is above the law, and to instill a sense of accountability to persons who hold public office. At the end of the day, it must be borne in mind that even public officers who make the law are subject to that law.

Leaders pay compared to GDP per Person for the year 2010

The ratio of a political leader’s pay to their country’s GDP per Person
The ratio of a political leader’s pay to their country’s GDP per Person
Source: the economist

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Naipolitans: Conversations touching on Urbane Space, May 10 2013 @ Alliance

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An Olympian’s Solution: From the Unwalkable Walking City and other Paradoxes, to a Healthier and Safer Nairobi

Date & Time: Friday May 10, 2013, 6.00-8.00pm (event starts 6.30pm sharp)
Venue: 3rd Floor, Alliance Française

This month’s conversation will be throwing a spotlight on the potential contribution of Nairobi residents to create healthier and safer urban spaces.

Healthier Cities
Douglas Wakiihuri will share his experiences as an Olympian, retired competitive runner and current road runner. He will speak to the challenges that the ever evolving urban environment impose on his running activities and the lifestyles of urban residents. Douglas runs the Sotokoto Marathon, mentors a group of young runners (children) in Kibera and encourages city dwellers to lead active lives. Herein lies the challenge, he’s discovered; it’s neither “healthy” nor safe to lead an active life in the city.

Paradoxes exist from the lack of appropriate urban infrastructure (e.g. encouraging walking in an unwalkable city) and facilities (Kenya produces elite runners in spite of the lack of locally accessible training facilities as Wakiihuri points out) to the lack of green spaces. Nairobi’s setup tends to encourage a sedentary or vehicle dependent lifestyle.

Safer Cities
Safety, as tragically revealed during the recent events at the Boston Marathon, is also key. In addition to personal safety which is hits closer to home, pedestrian safety, air quality and easily accessible paths are all legitimate concerns for the would be walker, jogger or runner. To that end, Juma Assiago from UN Habitat’s Safer Cities program will engage participants in an exchange about the development of safety measures at city level.

For more info visit: http://naipolitans.tumblr.com/