Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, on Wednesday evening, made fresh demands after Daily Nation published an exposé about a lavish trip by MPs to attend a conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
On Wednesday, the paper reported that it could not establish the exact cost of the trip, but there were indications it could cost taxpayers nearly Ksh100 million.
Taking to social media, the former premier condemned the lawmakers' rare show of unity who demanded an apology from the publication.
"This afternoon, the National Assembly, in a rare show of unity and characteristic defensive show of anger, disowned the Nation story, threatened the media house and demanded an apology," stated Raila.
As a result of the exposé, the former premier demanded that the National Assembly should publish the names of all the 85 delegates, who will be attending the conference in the USA.
"Parliament has to publish the names of each of the members, the aides of those members attending the conference, how much they were paid in allowances and tickets and why it was necessary for them to attend the conference in the first place.
"The National Assembly must also explain to Kenyans how the names of those members got to Tennessee as those attending the conference," he argued.
He further defended the publication's choice to run the story arguing that based on the subjects quoted in the story, different people in different regions were pained with the country's expenditure.
"I want to differ extremely strongly with the position taken by the National Assembly on this matter. The strange rage displayed by the lawmakers does not in any way exonerate the House and its leadership. Instead, it betrays a collective sense of guilt.
"The information that the Daily Nation published is in the hands of several people, locally and abroad, who out of pain for our country, felt the need to put it out if that can help stop the culture of waste and living large at the expense of taxpayers that has become the model in our legislatures," he expressed.
"I am one of those with whom this information was shared by a section of the very organisers of the conference," Raila added.
The trip comes at a time when President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration is proposing cuts on foreign travel as part of austerity measures.
