• Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has sidelined himself from his colleagues who launched an onslaught against President William Ruto and Raila Odinga for labelling them extortionists
• Addressing a joint UDA and ODM parliamentary group meeting on Monday, August 18, Ruto and Raila castigated the members of the bicameral parliament for extorting those appearing before them for accountability questions
• Sudi said Raila and Ruto were on point, revealing the existence of bribery syndicates in parliament

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has sided with President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga on their sweeping condemnation of the two houses of parliament, which they accused of entrenching corruption in their official undertakings.

While addressing a joint UDA and ODM parliamentary group meeting on Monday, August 18, Ruto and Raila put the Senate and the National Assembly on the spot, accusing them of routinising bribery while carrying out their mandates.,

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The president claimed that the lawmakers extort members of the national executive and county governments for leniency when probing various matters of public concern.

Ruto, at some point, claimed that the MPs, whom he didn’t mention, demanded KSh 10 million to pass a bill.

The president firmly claimed that a group within the National Assembly was involved in receiving large sums of money, undermining the integrity of the legislative body.

He announced plans to pursue their arrests and subsequent prosecution.

Supporting Ruto’s remarks, Raila emphasised that some senators were allegedly requesting up to KSh 150 million in exchange for transparency when questioning governors on significant issues, including impeachment proceedings.

Sudi underscored the two leaders’ assertions, revealing that there exists a syndicate in the two houses of parliament which extorts those appearing before them.

He, however, clarified that the syndicates comprise a minority in both houses.

“The statements by the President and ODM leader Raila Odinga about MPs’ bribery claims are true, but not all MPs are involved. Even in the Senate, it’s a minority. However, some Senators have made graft their business,” Sudi said.

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Meanwhile, Sudi suggested corruption runs deeper in the executive than in the legislature.

He asserted that corruption in the legislature is just the tip of the iceberg; the big cheeses of high-level corruption exist in the national executive.

Sudi questioned what Ruto’s administration would do to deal with the masterminds of large-scale graft in the national government.

“MPs who have engaged in corruption are like egg thieves, but what about Governors, Parastatals MDs and DGs, and some Principal Secretaries – what fate awaits these chicken thieves?” he posed.

Raila and Ruto’s offensive on the legislature irked the lawmakers, who shelved their political differences on Tuesday, August 19, to defend themselves against the onslaught.

They shelved the critical businesses of the house to discuss the condemnation by the two principals of the broad-based political arrangement.

Some of the lawmakers accused Ruto of using the house to rubber-stamp bills and then betray them with condemnation of being corrupt.

Others pressured the speaker to invoke the provisions of the Powers and Privileges Act to protect parliament, and asked that the president be summoned to shed light on his strong allegations.

Source: TUKO.co.ke