Kenyan Members of Parliament will enjoy five-star catering services when they resume their sittings later today.
In the evening, after a ‘hard-day’s’ work, those who partake of wine, whisky or beer, will be served at a newly refurbished bar.
As of last evening, carpenters were racing against time to put final touches to the expanded bar. Its ambiance is par excellence.
The gypsum ceiling, star-studded with decorative lights, the chandeliers and the comfortable seats at the MPs’ lounge complete the new dining area. The MPs resume sittings after a long Christmas recess.
The old bar was small and could hardly accommodate more than 10 MPs. It had a semi-circular table by the corner that also served as a counter. Next to it were “sina taabu” chairs made of mahogany.
Before the recess, they had complained about poor catering services and urged the Parliamentary Service Commission to outsource from five-star hotels and restaurants with continental and traditional cuisines. They said there were no Kenyan traditional foods on the menu. The poor infrastructure and hospitality facilities were not worthy of their stature, the members said.
Majority leader Aden Duale kicked off the storm when he accused the Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities of benchmarking in other parliaments but failing to implement what they learnt to change the services and welfare of members.
“The services we receive in our restaurant since 2007, when I became a member of Parliament, have never changed. The mandazis are still the same. The tea is still the same. The tea was Sh80. The chairs are the same. They have not even changed the colour and the gadgets,” the Garissa Township MP told the House last November.