Kenya: Day Speaker Muturi, MPs Visited Ladies' Toilets in Parliament

By Samwel Owino

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Tuesday led a parliamentary committee to the ladies' toilets in Parliament Buildings to corroborate information that some MPs were bribed in there to shoot down the sugar report.

Mr Muturi was accompanied by over 10 MPs of the Powers and Privileges Committee, which is investigating the bribery allegations, and Kiambu Woman Rep Gathoni Wamuchomba.

Parliamentary orderlies barred journalists from accompanying the committee.

Appearing before the committee last month, Ms Wamuchomba said she overheard two of her colleagues discussing how they had been bribed while inside the toilet cubicles.

RECEIVED BRIBE

She said she heard the MPs discussing how they had received between Sh10,000 and Sh20,000 to shoot down the report.

She, however, told the committee she could not figure out the identity of the women MPs who were inside the cubicles.

The committee resolved that Ms Wamuchomba would accompany them to show the panel where she was and where the rest of the members were.

"It is important that we get a proper impression of the space described by Ms Wamuchomba," Mr Muturi said last month.

The sugar report had indicted National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, his East African Community counterpart Adan Mohammed and High Commissioner to India Willy Bett -- who was Agriculture Cabinet Secretary when the sugar was imported.

REPORT REJECTED

Parliament rejected the report prepared by a joint committee in August ostensibly on the grounds that the team ignored its terms of reference. Some sugar was suspected to have been toxic or unfit for human consumption as it was not fully processed.

The Privileges Committee has so far grilled 10 MPs, who alleged that their colleagues were bribed to reject the report.

The MPs who have appeared before the committee are Didmas Barasa (Kimilili), James K'Oyoo (Muhoroni), Jane Kihara (Naivasha), Geoffrey Osotsi (Nominated), Simba Arati (Dagoretti North), John Waluke (Sirisia), Wajir Woman Rep Fatuma Gedi, Geoffrey Odanga (Matayos) and Rahab Mukami (Nyeri).