The National Assembly is on the spot after details of Members of Parliament receiving bribes to strike out a detailed report on the contraband sugar imports.
Members of the ad-hoc committee on Friday afternoon regretted the manner in which a one and a half-months-long probe findings and recommendation were thrown out of the House as shoddy work.
Addressing the media outside parliament buildings, Dagoreti North MP Simba Arati stated that the move to disparage the efforts made by the committee was the worst scenario ever and the darkest day in Parliament.
[caption caption="Dagoreti North MP Simba Arati(PHOTO/COURTESY)"]
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Arati linked the majority decision to reject the report to outright biases by Speaker Justin Muturi and massive bribery that influenced members of the assembly.
He claimed that a number of legislators received bribes while at the Senate Cafeteria while further attempts to muscle the house to shoot down the committee's work were meted out inside the chambers.
"I went to the speaker to give me a chance to speak and he refused. People threw out a whole document that was meant to save the sugar industry in Kenya. As we speak, people will continue consuming the poisonous sugar. It was a well-calculated move and not even members of the committee were given a chance to speak.
"The game has just begun and we will deal with them on different grounds until Kenyans get a satisfactory answer on what informed the likes of Mbadi and Duale to make that kind of a move. My colleague was being bribed with Kshs 10,000 but he refused on the floor of the house," held the infuriated Arati.
He noted that the house standing orders could allow amendments to make the report better placed to find a remedy for the troubles killing the sugar sector.
Kimili MP Didmus Barasa accused Wajir County MP Fatuma Gedi of bribing Members of Parliament.
According to Barasa, Gedi is alleged to have attempted to bribe him, Sirisia MP John Waluke and other lawmakers to have them back the rejection of the report.
"It is completely regretable. They wanted to bribe me and Waluke, we were seated together and we saw parliament being taken over by the sugar cartels and their agents with a minority supporting the plight of the cane farmers. A majority were acting on behalf of the sugar barons who even evade taxes on a daily basis," stated Barasa.
Barasa further appealed to the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission to review CCTV footage on the proceedings of the debate and have appropriate action taken against the Wajir Women Representative.
Kenyans.co.ke could not reach the accused for a comment as numerous calls went unanswered.
At the time of publishing this article, she had not responded to text messages asking her to comment on the bribery accusations.
[caption caption="Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa in his office(PHOTO/COURTESY)"]
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