Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has downplayed claims by President William Ruto that Parliamentary Committees are involved in corruption, insisting that what takes place in the House is lobbying and not bribery.
Speaking on Monday, August 18, Junet said President Ruto's remarks misrepresented what happens in Parliament, adding that lobbying is a globally recognized practice.
"There are certain pronouncements you made about Parliament, President Ruto. I assumed you were referring to lobbying, but the one you described is different from what is practiced globally and I thought you meant we should reduce it," he said.
Junet further clarified that lobbying is an external process, widely acknowledged across democracies, and not the same as what Ruto described.
"You know, the people who do lobbying are outside Parliament, not inside. It is a recognized international standard practice everywhere. But the one you spoke about is alien to us, I have never seen that before," he added.
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Speaking at the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County on Wednesday, August 13, Ruto called out Parliament over corruption, accusing MPs of turning legislative committees into 'extortion rings'.
He condemned the practice of MPs soliciting money to write favorable reports or overlook corruption, emphasizing that such behavior undermines the integrity of oversight institution.
"There is something happening in parliament that must be called out. There is money being demanded from executive, from governors, from people in executive especially those who are for accountability.
"It cannot continue to be business as usual. It cannot be committees of parliament demand to be paid for them to write reports or look the other way," he said.
Ruto vowed that his administration would not tolerate corruption, directing the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to take decisive action against corrupt officials, regardless of their political or social standing.
"I have made it clear to the Chair and CEO of EACC that there will be no sacred cow, that there will be no telephone call from anywhere, below or above, to stop anybody from being prosecuted on matters of corruption," he added.
Further, Ruto criticized the judiciary for enabling corruption, particularly through the practice of anticipatory bail.
"Don’t be a haven for the corrupt to hide behind judicial decisions. We have an innovation that is only available in Kenya that allows a corrupt person, someone who has stolen public funds, or somebody in breach of the law, not to be prosecuted. The anticipatory bail is an innovation that takes us backwards," he further said.
