Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has alleged the government's intention to arrest the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna over bribery allegations.
Speaking on Monday, August 18, during a stakeholder forum in Meru County, Onyonka alleged a well-orchestrated scheme to arrest the Nairobi Senator and other parliamentarians for allegedly receiving bribes.
The Kisii lawmaker revealed that he had received information that President William Ruto had ordered the arrest of Sifuna and other members of the legislature.
Onyonka also criticised the Head of State for failing to tackle corruption within the executive before accusing the legislature of the same.
"We have just received information that the president wants to arrest Sifuna and other members of the Senate and the National Assembly," Onyonka alleged.
"He wants to arrest them because they were receiving petty cash. Mr President, if you want to deal with this, start by arresting people within your circle," he added.
Onyonka's allegations come hours after Ruto declared war on corruption within Parliament, warning that legislators implicated in the bribery scandal would be arrested.
The Head of State, while speaking during a joint parliamentary meeting between ODM and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party yesterday, criticised Senators and MPs, faulting them for soliciting bribes to influence legislative decisions.
He reiterated that reports pointed to a deep-rooted culture of bribery within the legislature, particularly among the parliamentary committee members.
According to him, for instance, a group of Senators reportedly received up to Ksh150 million to influence the outcome of a critical matter that had been brought before the House.
“They are collecting money in the name of Parliament, and sometimes that money never gets to Parliament. Instead, it ends up in the pockets of a few individuals. We are not going to shame them; we are going to apprehend them,” Ruto said.
'I am a consumer of raw intelligence. Do you, for example, know that a few members of the House here received up to Ksh10 million to pass the Anti-Money Laundering Bill? Do you know that? Did you get the money?'' he posed.
