When the Parliamentary Select Committee submitted its recommendations to the Committee of Experts, there was consensus that it had done a fairly decent job.

The team surprised everyone by the fact that the members were able to cast aside partisan party and regional interests to work for a common cause.

Even so, there are some recommendations that must be reviewed. Key among them is the proposal on the Legislature. The proposal to have two chambers, the Lower House and the Upper House have serious financial implications for the economy.

As we reported yesterday, Kenyans will have to pay at least Sh342 million for the upkeep of the additional 190 MPs, who will include 80 representatives of new constituencies, 47 women MPs and 63 Senators.

Not only will the additional constituencies and special seats translate to higher wage bill, they will also mean extra expenses such as increased budgets for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and other devolved funds.

Right away, the taxpayers will have to provide funds for a new chamber or renovation of the existing ones, plus new offices. These are not small costs.

In recent years, Parliament has earned the dubious distinction of being the house of a spoilt lot – people who decide their pay and whether they should be taxed or not.

In contrast, the rest of Kenyans who pay tax labour under the burden of rising inflation and decreased earnings.

The creation of new constituencies is a valid proposal, but the figure of 80 is extreme. There is no evidence to suggest that the more the MPs the better the representation. In fact, the converse could be true.

Several groups and personalities have vouched for a leaner Legislature, and with good reason. The experts need to examine these views with an eye on the prevailing economic conditions.

The point is that the economy cannot sustain an inordinately large number of MPs. Let’s reduce the figure to a reasonable level.

For far too long, teachers who befriend and impregnate primary or even secondary school pupils have had it easy.

Rarely do these sex pests suffer anything beyond interdictions, ‘‘investigations’’ and then transfers to other schools where they often continue preying on young, impressionable minds and bodies.

The losers, on the whole, are the young girls, who are forced to cut short their studies at a tender age, while the teachers walk free.

Two things should be clear here. Having sex with an under-age girl is illegal in Kenya. The age of consent is 18, and any intimacy with a girl below that age is a form of rape – regardless of whether the sex is consensual or not.

The second is that sexual intercourse with a schoolgirl is, under the Education Act, illegal as well. And it does not matter whether the girl is 18 or not. The girl is still a minor. But rarely do we hear that they have been hauled to court to answer charges.

That is why the call by First Lady Lucy Kibaki to legislators to make the Sexual Offences Act more punitive resonates with a lot of parents.

It is time the authorities implemented the law to the full in this regard. It is also time parents realised that they have the full force of the law and they can sue for damages if their children are molested.

The moment a teacher is proved to have had carnal knowledge of any pupil, he should be charged. That is the only way to curb the menace.