HOMA BAY, Kenya -President William Ruto has accused some Members of Parliament and Senators of demanding bribes to sway decisions in the National Assembly and Senate, a rare and blunt criticism aimed at Kenya’s political class.
Speaking at the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay on Wednesday, Mr Ruto alleged that lawmakers in parliamentary committees were soliciting payments from Cabinet Secretaries, governors, and other senior officials in exchange for favourable reports or lenient oversight.
“It cannot continue to be business as usual,” he said. “There is money being demanded from the Executive, governors and Cabinet Secretaries, especially when they appear before Parliament for accountability.”
The President’s remarks came in response to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who had earlier urged tighter scrutiny of county governments. While agreeing with the call for oversight, Mr Ruto said legislators themselves must also be held to account.
He warned that corruption within parliamentary committees was corroding public trust. “It is not possible that committees of Parliament want to be bribed or paid to write reports or to look the other way,” he said.
Mr Ruto also took aim at the judiciary, accusing it of enabling corrupt officials to evade justice through anticipatory bail orders. “We have an innovation in Kenya that allows someone who has stolen public resources not to be prosecuted,” he said. “It takes us backwards.”
The President stressed that Kenya’s main challenge was not a lack of resources, but waste and mismanagement. “Are they being directed to the right purposes? How much is lost to waste and corruption?” he asked.
He called for urgent reforms, including tighter controls to prevent misuse of public funds and the enforcement of the newly signed Conflict of Interest Bill. He pledged there would be “no sacred cows” in the fight against corruption.
“I have made it clear to the chair of EACC that there will be no telephone call from anywhere to stop anybody from being prosecuted,” he said.
The allegations are likely to stir tensions between the Executive and Parliament, setting the stage for a fresh political battle over accountability in Kenya’s governance.
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