Senators lament extortion claims in Parliament, demand probe to arrest perpetrators

This was after President William Ruto on Monday vowed harsh action against those behind the soko huru scheme, where members of parliamentary committees solicit bribes while summoning governors and other top government leaders.

The matter became a thorny issue in the Senate as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna demanded that those involved should be summoned and face disciplinary action.

"They have put us at a very wrong place, every decision we will be making will be viewed as if we have taken something from someone, take an example of impeachment, if we impeach they will say we have taken money from someone, if we save a Governor they will say we have taken money from the Governor," Sifuna noted.

"The problem is that we don't have leaders who can defend the Senate, I am putting the leadership of the Senate on notice, they must call out those that are disparaging the House."

His Nandi counterpart Samson Cherargei added that the House is highly compromised and the vice should be nipped in the bud before it worsens.

"While Parliament is under attack, it's the responsibility of the house to defend the house. In fact we are talking, and we are putting them on notice, and we are telling them, they will go before we go," Cherargei stated.

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang opined that the legislators have breached the Parliamentary code of conduct and must be grilled on who they have been working with.

"They need to be summoned and explain who those people are who are those people being given bribes because you cannot try Parliament in a kangaroo court," he added.

Kajwang also held that Speakers Moses Wetangula (National Assembly) and Amason Kingi (Senate) should summon President Ruto to reveal the names of those involved in the scheme and defend his claims.

President Ruto, during the ODM-Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group Meeting, gave an example of a recent extortion incident which someone paid off Ksh.150 million to a Senate committee.

"This is not to protect Parliament but for the good of the public, the gross allegations made by the President can be investigated and the public can get closure," he noted.