Mouth for hire

You have heard about the story of the pied piper of hammelin. He who asked to be paid to clear rats from the city of Hammelin. At the end of the story we are told that he who pays the piper calls for the tune.

And none other than the Prime Minister Jakom Raila Odinga has said that MPs are being paid to ask questions in parliament.

It is not a new thing, we have heard about it before. We have heard how multinationals would foot the bill for first class flights to beach resorts and also pay hefty allowances to the not so honourable members to ensure that bills that would curtail their profits do not see the light of the day. They would also ensure that if they see, it is in an empty chamber where a quorum can't be raised.

My concern is have we become a nation of hirilings dancing to many tunes of the people paying us?

If it is not Mps who are being hired to ask questions for pay it is the journalists who will be writing stories for pay. They will be penning stories that favour a certain newsmaker and once they are through they will want the newsmaker to grease their hands. Of course this means that opposing views will never see the light of the day.

Then we have sycophants for hire. You have probably seen them shouting themselves hoarse in support of certain quarters. However the support wanes if money is not forthcoming and they will start spilling beans about how they were paid to shout and heap praise to the not so popular person.

I cannot imagine of the many names I have heard of people who were doing something for someone for a pay. The list is almost endless. Women for this and that,  New Youths for XYZ, Youth wingers for ABC etc etc. Doctors for this, Bishops for change, Pastors for the status quo etc.

Yet when there is someone who is willing to pay more, the first payer is left alone at times thinking of the good old times when he would pay the piper for a song to go in his own way.