Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa sensationally unmasked his colleagues who wee behind the controversial bribery racket that has dodged Parliament.
He singled out Wajir County Women rep Fatuma Gedi whom he claims approached him with an envelope containing Sh10,000 and tried to give him the cash so he would reject the sugar report.
“Go ask the Speaker and let him play back cameras. She (Gedi) can be zoomed, you will see just what she was doing. She can then tell whether the money she was giving was to pay debts or for harambee donation,” Barasa said.
However, Gedi yesterday convened a press conference at Parliament Buildings where she denied carrying huge amounts of money in the House last Thursday to compromise MPs
“What is Sh10,000 that cannot even buy lunch for an honourable member? I want Barasa to provide evidence and say whom I was working for,” Gedi said, adding she had already written to the Speaker to have the Kimilili MP compelled to table evidence.
The Wajir county lawmaker said she is unapologetic for leading the onslaught for rejection of the report, which she called shoddy and substandard.
“As the people’s representative, I have a responsibility to oppose or support any report or motion before Parliament. I did mobilise members to oppose the report and that is all I did. I have no apology to make,” Gedi said.
But Kieni MP Kanini Kega, who co-chaired the panel, came out guns blazing, saying opponents of the report never read the document to understand it.
“They can’t be cornered as MPs and drop the report because there were reports of being compromised, and then they want to push the ball to us. It is laughable. The committee did a perfect report, it was beyond reproach,” Kega said.
He added, “We came up with all the 169 people who imported sugar, the companies and the directorship and that is where the waters started beating us.”
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has asked the assembly clerk to write to write to all MPs who have alleged bribery to appear before the powerful Powers and Privileges Committee for evidence taking.
But Kitutu Chache South MP Richard Onyonka called the Speaker’s action part of a cover-up, saying Parliament cannot investigate itself when faced with monumental corruption allegations.
Onyonka urged Muturi to lead from the front by allowing investigating agencies to review CCTV footage on that day as part of the prosecuting evidence, instead of going round in circles.
“How can Parliament investigate itself? What happened was criminal. Money exchanged hands and agencies need to move in and investigate. People who were peddling money in Parliament must be punished,” the Ford Kenya lawmaker said.
Minority leader John Mbadi asked the DCI boss George Kinoti and the EACC to move swiftly and deal with the culprits without awaiting the Speaker’s invitation.
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