MP: Duale and Mbadi to blame for rejection of sugar report

Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Kanini Kega. [File, Standard]

The Majority and Minority leaders in Parliament have been accused of spearheading the shooting down of the contraband sugar report.

Kanini Kega, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, termed the rejection of the sugar report as "sad, despicable and an unfortunate incident that compromised the faith of Kenyans in their elected leaders".

“We must regain the faith of the electorate and the first step is to investigate Mbadi and Duale so they can explain their role in the shooting down of our report,” he said.

But Majority Leader Aden Duale said the report was not a Government Bill and, therefore, he could not be held responsible for its rejection.

John Mbadi is the Minority Leader.

Mr Duale said if the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) were to investigate MPs, he would recommend that they look into Mr Kega and members of the committee.

"If he has anything to report to EACC he should go and record any statement against me, otherwise I treat his sentiments with contempt, and consider them baseless," he said.

Kega yesterday called on EACC to investigate bribery claims against MPs.

“I am happy that the Speaker of the National Assembly has agreed to invite EACC to probe the claims that MPs were compromised to reject the sugar report,” he said.

Speaking during a fundraiser at Kamariki Catholic Church, Kieni constituency yesterday, Mr Kega said he stood firmly behind his committee's report.

“Our report was good. But the shocking fact is that even as I read out the report in the House MPs who opposed it were not listening to me although they had not read the document,” he said.

He claimed that most of the MPs who opposed the report were compromised.