Edwin Sifuna, Kajwang' Want Ruto Summoned over Bribery Allegations: "Unethical Conduct"
- President William Ruto accused the senators and the Members of Parliament of carrying out bribery within the Parliament
- These allegations caught the attention of senators, who are now calling for Ruto to be summoned to appear before the Senate and the National Assembly
- Led by senators Edwin Sifuna and Moses Kajwang', they highlighted the reasons why the head of state should be summoned
Faith Chandianya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya
Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna and Homa Bay senator Moses Kajwang have demanded that President William Ruto be summoned to appear before the Senate and the National Assembly over his bribery allegations.
Source: Facebook
This comes a day after the head of state declared a crackdown on Members of Parliament and senators collecting bribes in a bid to influence legislative outcomes.
Why should Ruto be summoned?
Speaking on Tuesday, August 19, before the County Public Accounts Committee, Kajwang stated that if there are allegations of misconduct in parts of Parliament, the speakers should call for evidence so that the process of determining whether members are engaging in corruption can be done.
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"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...All those are instruments that are already available to us in law, and we must exhaust before Sifuna moves the motion to impeach the Senate speaker," Kajwang' said.
On the other side, Sifuna called out Senate speaker Amason Kingi for remaining silent after the head of State made corruption accusations against the senators.
Sifuna calls out speaker Amason Kingi
He argued that Kingi, as the head of the house, should be able to come forth and defend the Senate.
"They should defend the institution and call out the hypocrites who are pointing fingers at Parliament, and yet we know they are the originators of corruption in this country," Sifuna angrily said.
While seemingly hitting out at the head of state, Sifuna stated that Ruto should appear before the Senate and back his allegations with evidence.
"Chair, if you don't defend this committee, because this committee was specifically singled out as the rent seekers. Chair, if you don't defend us today, we are willing to move a motion of your removal. Because we cannot continue like this, if somebody has any evidence, let them present it," Sifuna argued.
Are there plans to arrest Sifuna?
In a separate incident, the Kisii senator Richard Onyonka has alleged that the government was planning to arrest Sifuna over bribery claims.
Source: Facebook
Speaking on Monday, August 18, during a meeting with PNU leaders, Onyonka claimed that the Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza government was allegedly orchestrating a scheme to target Sifuna and other legislators who were accused of receiving petty bribes.
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The outspoken senator stated that he had received information suggesting the government had directed security agencies to arrest Sifuna alongside several members of parliament.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
