Kenyan Mps who accompanied Deputy President William Ruto at the Hague are stuck in Holland even as the wealthy Ruto returns home to continue serving other Kenyans.
The team which include a majority of first time Mps had hoped to follow the proceedings throughout this week as they sing the national anthem draped in the country’s national flag but were shocked when the prosecutor applied for adjournment, deeply messing up a well orchestrated publicity stunt organised by the Jubilee Alliance for consumption by Kenyans here at home.
The Mps, many of them first time international travellers are holed up in low rate hotels around the Hague; while those with means are said to have returned to Amsterdam to enjoy their political fiesta.
According to a source from a CORD affiliated Mp who declined to join the Hague team, the Mps have a basic daily stipend being catered for by a secret Jubilee Alliance “Hague Fund” which only includes basic food, Ksh 5000 per night hotel bill and airtime to call family and constituency aides back home. This is in stark contrast to the Deputy President, his wife, immediate family and aides whose expenses are catered for fully by the Kenyan taxpayers.
An interesting bit involved one MP from Central Kenya whom a source at the Hague claimed had hoped to accompany Ruto in his hotel apartment in the outskirts of Hague, only to be told that all Mps are to remain at The Hague city where the ICC seat is located.
“the MP began making frantic calls to relatives to come pick him for the weekend but many claimed other commitments; we are still with him in our hotel room,” said an aide of a senior Rift Valley Mp who said he is comfortable with where he is staying.
While Ruto and family  jetted home today, the Mps whose travel tickets indicate plus 10 days will begin trooping back as from Friday next week, a development that has caused massive disruption of their mheshimiwa status.
“This place is hard for them. Hotel rooms are Sh20,000 and they have been basically reduced to tourists, to make matters worse, many Kenyans here are diaspora educated who support the ICC proceedings,” revealed a Kenyan diaspora working with a UN body at the Hague.
The Mps have also been reduced to eating bread and soda most of them as they are not used to the kind of food being offered in their paid up hotels at The Hague.
“The Deputy president came and hired cooks who can do Kenyan food preparing him meals everyday but these Mps just wanted a ride; they are finding life here very difficult,” added our diaspora source.
Well, if your Mp is at The Hague, at least you now know their predicament. Frilling.