I was reviewing the Hansard hoping to find some debate on the 12 bills that still need to be passed before the one-year anniversary of the promulgation of the constitution 27^th August 2011. When I stumbled upon these questions raised by MP for Wajir West, Mohammed Sirat, regarding the intervention by the Kenya Red Cross in the ongoing drought and crisis:

1. a. To what extent is the Kenya Red Cross Society supplementing the Government efforts in drought mitigation and the distribution of relief food to persons affected by drought and famine in the country and who is the society accountable to?
2. b. What percentage of the national and international emergency relief appeal has been realized so far and how much has been utilized in the country and could the Minister table a detailed proof of collection and expenditure?
3. c. Could the Minister confirm that the organization is putting up Five Star hotels in Nairobi, Nyeri and Eldoret and has acquired more than 3,000 acres of land in Mlango in Tana River while Kenyans are dying of hunger and, if so, clarify whether this is part of the organization’s core mandate?

The questions struck me as absurd on several levels, because most of the information asked for by the MP is readily available on the Kenya Red Cross website, or from the offices of the Kenya Red Cross including information on the hotels, the proceeds of which sustain the activities of the Kenya Red Cross. The questions also made me wonder if the MP really understood what the Kenya Red Cross is, what it does, and its relationship (or lack there of) to the government?

It is worth noting the Assistant Minister of Special Programmes was able to answer immediately, with facts and figures, all the questions asked. Further several MPs in the house commended the work of the Kenya Red Cross in the ongoing crisis and work that the organization had done in their constituencies.

To me it seemed that MP’s vitriol was directed towards the wrong institution. The intervention of Kenya Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations in the drought speaks more to the gaps in the government’s ability to plan and respond effectively to the drought and famine.

In a similar way that the Kenya Red Cross is accountable to its donors both local and international and has made available information on their relief efforts. The government is/should be accountable to its citizens and this made me think could the government readily provide answers to same questions if asked of them?