Hall of shame? MPs cite House teams for bribery

Parliament at a past session. MPs have admitted corruption in the house. [File, Stamdard]

As MPs ward off extortion claims in committees probing various government agencies and vetting President Uhuru Kenyatta nominees, some have confirmed the existence of underhand dealings within the House teams.

The Sunday Standard has reliably learnt that House committees now have the informal positions of ‘welfare chairs’ whose sole mandate is ‘rent seeking’.

The syndicate has moved a notch higher as some MPs even sought kickbacks from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Committee (EACC) when Chief Executive Officer Halaque Waqo and his team appeared before a committee.

Two journalists

Coming in the wake of summons to two journalists to appear before the Powers and Privileges committee chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi over a story on bribery allegations, some MPs have threatened to spill the beans accusing their colleagues of tarnishing their names. “Parliament has degenerated to a whole new low,” said Kitutu Chache South MP Richard Onyonka.

A showdown looms in the House this week after Muturi saved the joint committee of Agriculture and Trade from an embarrassing debate on its report on inquiry on importation of illegal and poisonous sugar over claims of alteration.

Dan Maanzo (Makueni) and Simba Arati (Dagoreti North) protested a move to apparently shield Cabinet Secretaries Henry Rotich (National Treasury), Adan Mohamed (East African Community) and Indian ambassador nominee Willy Bett from taking personal responsibility.

Sources claim a nominee for a committee was rejected in disguise of public interest, but it was because he failed to raise Sh20 million sought by the committee.

Another probe dogged with talks of graft is the Sh1.5 billion Ruaraka land payment, where millions of shillings are alleged to have been dished out for a cover-up. Already, Francis Mburu, the businessman at the centre of the saga, has sensationally claimed that three senators tried to extort Sh100 million from him in February this year, just before the scandal broke out.

And Bomet Woman Representative Joyce Chepkoech did not mince words as she asked her colleagues to be honest.

Another MP raised the issue of foreign and local trips and conflict of interest in committees.

Lately, he said the frequency of bench-marking trips have increased. For Europe trips, MPs get between Sh40,000 to Sh70,000 a day while for US tours, they get Sh80,000 a day.