The Outspoken constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno has lashed out at Members of Parliament for leaving the National Assembly as Gen Z protests rocked Nairobi’s Central Business District.
In an interview on a local Radio Station on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Otieno described the MPs’ actions as cowardly and unpatriotic, saying they had abdicated their responsibilities to the people of Kenya.
“You want to tell me MPs can’t walk the same roads as other Kenyans, that they have to escape through underground tunnels?” Otieno posed.
“Yet it’s taxpayers who sustain their offices.”
MPS were seen leaving Parliament Buildings as the demonstrations to commemorate the death of at least 60 youthful people during the 2024 Finance Bill protest, rocked the CBD.
In a video shared by a local station, vehicles belonging to MPs were seen leaving the Parliament Building as demonstrations took over major streets in the CBD despite an initial barricade that restricted movement into the town centre.
Otieno, however, accused the MPs of betraying the trust of those who put them in office.
“This is a criminal enterprise. They have assumed positions of leadership and now act like our lords, forgetting they are supposed to be servants of the people,” he declared.
The lawyer said it was symbolic and shameful that the country’s lawmakers were too afraid to face the public they claim to represent. He likened their retreat to a total collapse of political courage and accountability.
“These MPs should be walking side by side with wananchi, hearing their cries, answering questions. Instead, they vanish into tunnels like fugitives,” Otieno said.
He also criticised the broader political culture that allows such behaviour to go unpunished, arguing that citizens must continue to hold their leaders accountable.
“The same people who are hiding from protesters will be the first to ask for your vote in 2027. It’s up to us to remember this moment,” he warned.
As pressure mounted on elected officials, Otieno called for renewed civic awareness and bolder public participation in the democratic process.
“The people are awake now,” he said. “They can run, but they can’t hide forever.”
Cordoned off
While Parliament Road was cordoned off to unauthorised access, the situation has quickly escalated, seeing the legislators leave the Assembly houses as the protest continues.
In the morning of Wednesday, June 25, 2025, police officers blocked access points to the city centre and controlled vehicular traffic into the CBD.
Routes leading into the CBD, such as Thika Superhighway, Valley Road, Ngong Road, Haile Selassie Avenue, and Globe Roundabout, were also blocked.
During the 2024 protests, MPs were forced to flee after a group of demonstrators breached Parliament security and gained entry into the chambers.
Parliamentary orderlies rushed to funnel the legislators into a secret tunnel that runs from the Parliament Buildings to the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), from where they were evacuated from imminent danger.
The invasion came just minutes after word went out that more than two-thirds of the MPs had voted in favour of punitive revenue-generation measures proposed by the Treasury in 2024.
