Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has claimed there was a hefty payout for anyone who voted 'yes' to impeach former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
During a TV interview on Tuesday, March 4, the vocal senator was critical of the rollout of Universal Healthcare Coverage as he attempted to explain the key challenge crippling operations within the Social Health Authority.
According to Maanzo, the government is struggling because lawmakers often pass laws under coercion rather than prioritising legislation that benefits the ordinary Kenyan.
Pressed on whether he had ever been in a position where he had to take a bribe to endorse a bill, Maanzo cited the infamous Gachagua impeachment motion, claiming senators were offered Ksh4 million to oust the former DP.
"Regarding the Gachagua matter, there was such an approach, and it did not work. There were conditions," Maanzo alleged. "It was an offer of KSh 4 million. The position was very clear, and in fact, they wanted a 100 per cent vote to impeach Gachagua."
In October 2024, at the height of Gachagua's impeachment case, 49 senators voted to remove the former Mathira MP from office, while 16 voted against the impeachment. Two senators abstained from voting.
Around that time, Maanzo was also critical of the government, claiming that no public participation took place in Makueni County. Instead, he alleged that a "county commissioner with guns" oversaw the vote.
As far as the rollout of the Social Health Authority is concerned, Maanzo insisted that the bribery culture was the only way to address the challenges facing the new healthcare system. "This bribery of the House must stop. We are running the country through bribes. That's why SHA and SHIF have a problem," he asserted.
Meanwhile, SHA continues to face scrutiny, with Auditor General Nancy Gathungu revealing on Monday, March 3, that the government neither owns nor controls the system despite significant public investment.
"The ownership of the system, system components, and all intellectual property rights shall remain in the ownership of the consortium," Gathungu noted in her audit report, adding that this raised concerns over the government's authority and oversight of the SHA system.
On Tuesday, the Chairperson of the Presidential Council for Economic Advisors, David Ndii, issued a clarification, stating that despite outsourcing the current health system, no money had been spent on it.
Ndii added that the new SHA system would provide similar capability but for Ksh10 billion per year, which is equivalent to Ksh50 per hospital visit per individual.
