Former Taita Taveta Woman Representative Joyce Lay has opened up on the difficult life politicians live after losing their seats.
Lay, who lost her senatorial bid in the 2017 elections, disclosed she was forced to sell her only vehicle to offset some of the debts she had accumulated, while serving as a Woman Representative.
In a tweet on Thursday, the former lawmaker said she got into debts as she carried a heavy burden of meeting financial needs of the residents of Taita Taveta County.
"When I lost, I sold the only vehicle I had since 2013 in order to pay debts of money that I used to either support empowerment projects or paid school fees. I still haven’t paid them all. I couldn’t afford to live a luxurious life because I was serving people in marginalized areas," she said.
Lay said politics comes with a heavy price as one has to use a lot of money to remain in touch with the electorate by contributing in unending fundraisers.
She said sometimes politicians are forced to borrow money to meet huge financial demands on the ground.
"I had taken a mortgage which was to be paid within the 4 years so I had to “tighten my belt”. On the ground you still have to stay “relevant” as a leader by contributing to all the harambees which could be over Sh200,000 every other weekend... that means all you have to do is borrow money," the former lawmaker said.
Lay was commenting on reports that a former Member of Murang'a County Assembly was seeking a a driver's job due to difficult life he has endured after losing his seat in 2017 elections.
"I will not ridicule him because if you don’t have any other income from your investments before going into politics then you become broke. It’s worse after losing a seat. You can’t get rich by being a politician not unless you steal public money and get involved in corrupt deals," she said.