National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has summoned two People Daily journalists who exposed alleged corruption in Parliament.
He instructed that Dinah Ondari and Anthony Mwangi to appear before the Powers and Privileges Committee on Thursday at 10 am to substantiate a story on how MPs are reportedly soliciting bribes.
The speaker stated the move was not aimed at gagging the media but to give journalists a chance to shed light on what might be within their knowledge.
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“They must answer all questions which will help you as a committee to bring a report to the floor of the house on the alleged corruption.
"Maybe they have some information which will be useful to make sure that we do the right thing,” Muturi mentioned.
The Thursday meeting will be chaired by Mukurweini MP Anthony Kiai assisted by his West Mugirango counterpart Vincent Mugaka.
The article claimed that Ksh500 million exchanged hands in questionable dealings between the MPs and various parties under probe by the 12th Parliament.
“The journalists must be heard, given a fair chance to explain what it is that perhaps led them to the conclusion that Parliament in its entirety is a bribery den and that parliamentarians are predators,” the Speaker stated.
He further remarked that it would be unfair to dismiss the report without hearing the journalists’ side of the story.
“Should the committee find material that would require to be taken to the relevant specialized investigatory agencies, the committee will be at liberty to make that kind of recommendation,” the House leader indicated.
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