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Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has claimed that the government is plotting to arrest Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna over alleged bribery.
Speaking during a stakeholder forum in Meru County, Onyonka alleged that authorities had hatched a scheme to arrest the Nairobi Senator alongside other parliamentarians accused of receiving bribes.
The Kisii legislator further alleged that he had received information indicating President William Ruto personally ordered the arrests of Sifuna and several lawmakers.
Onyonka faulted the Head of State for ignoring corruption within the executive while targeting the legislature.
“We have just received information that the president wants to arrest Sifuna and other members of the Senate and the National Assembly,” Onyonka alleged.
“He wants to arrest them because they were receiving petty cash. Mr President, if you want to deal with this, start by arresting people within your circle,” he added.
Ruto’s Claims on Bribery
This comes after President Ruto claimed a section of Members of Parliament took bribes to oppose the recently passed anti-money laundering law.
In a joint parliamentary group meeting with ODM and UDA MPs on Monday, August 18, Ruto claimed he had knowledge of corruption taking place within parliamentary committees.
“Do you, for example, know that a few members of your committee collected Sh10 million shillings so that you don’t pass that law on anti-money laundering? Did you get the money?” he asked.
Ruto vowed that moving forward, the government would not just expose those involved in bribery scandals but ensure they face arrest.
“We are not going to shame them. We are going to arrest them. Both the givers and receivers must be dealt with,” he stated.
RELATED – Ruto: Bribe Givers and Receivers in Parliament Will Be Arrested
Senators Demand Proof
In response, senators demanded that National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi summon the President to present evidence backing his allegations. They warned that the President’s comments threatened Parliament’s credibility and the gains made in devolution.
Speaking on Tuesday during a Public Accounts Committee session chaired by Senator Moses Kajwang’ and attended by Senator Edwin Sifuna, senators strongly condemned Ruto’s statements, arguing that they were as good as making sweeping insinuations against elected leaders.
They insisted that the Head of State must table testimonials, intelligence reports, or any other proof to substantiate his claims. According to them, failure to do so would damage the reputation of both Parliament and county governments.
“Article 125 gives us the power to compel any person to appear before this committee. This includes the President, who is making claims of unethical conduct by members of Parliament. The Speakers should summon him to come and shed more light on this matter. We cannot allow unsubstantiated allegations to go unchallenged,” Senator Kajwang stated.
”He should come and explain who is making and receiving those bribes. The sentiments could only be linked to a trial of Parliament in a kangaroo court. The Speakers should apply their powers and have him appear before the necessary committees to shed light on this,” Kajwang’ added.
The senators argued that the reputation of Parliament as the pillar of governance could not be tainted with sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations.
They argued that if Ruto;s accusations were true, they should be addressed through the right institutions such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Parliament, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), instead of being brought up at political rallies.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read Full Story…
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