Four MPs to answer bribery claims over sugar report
Nakuru residents protest in Nakuru Town on August 17, 2018 over claims that MPs were bribed to throw out a report on the quality of the sugar in the market. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Dismus Barasa claimed that Ms Gedi tried to bribe him with Sh10,000 to reject the report.
- Muturi said the committee is taking the matter of ethics and integrity of legislators seriously.
Four MPs have been summoned by the National Assembly’s Powers and Privileges Committee over the shooting down of the contraband sugar report.
The MPs are said to have played a role or witnessed lawmakers being bribed to dismiss the report last month.
Ms Rehab Mukami (Nyeri), Mr David Gikaria (Nakuru East), Mr Joseph Tonui (Kuresoi South) and Ms Fatma Gedi (Wajir Woman representative) were mentioned last week by their colleagues who appeared before the committee chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi. They are expected to appear before the committee on Tuesday.
Some of them are alleged to have approached several MPs with cash inducement to reject the report of the joint committee report on illegal sugar importation.
INTEGRITY
Ms Gedi was mentioned by Kimilili MP Dismus Barasa, who claimed that woman representative tried to bribe him with Sh10,000 to reject the report.
Mr Tonui was mentioned by Matayos MP Geoffrey Odanga, who told the committee that he reached out to him during lunchtime on the fateful day and told him to pick Sh20,000 from a room in the new Parliament wing.
“I was at the restaurant taking lunch with my two constituents when I was approached by Mr Tonui, who told me to go to a room and collect Sh20,000 in order to vote against the report,” Mr Odanga said.
Speaker Muturi said the committee will give a chance to all those mentioned to appear and clear their names.
PROBE
He said the committee is taking the matter of ethics and integrity of legislators seriously, hence those invited do not come as suspects but as persons with information that can help the committee find out the truth of what transpired.
The Director of Criminal Investigations is reportedly following the development of the happenings in the committee and is waiting for the report to start deeper investigations.
Eight lawmakers who appeared before the committee last week recanted their statements that some of their colleagues were bribed with as little as Sh10,000 to shoot down the report.
