On 20 November 2018, a National Assembly committee said lawmakers may have been bribed to reject a report on contraband sugar, and called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to dig into the allegations.
The Powers and Privileges Committee, chaired by Speaker Justin Muturi, said it had reviewed video footage, newspaper reports, witness testimony and other evidence tied to the row that followed the August debate in Parliament.
In its findings, the committee said it had examined the House proceedings of 9 August, when the report was defeated. It concluded that there was a possibility that members of the National Assembly had been bribed.
The sugar report itself had been prepared by the joint committee on agriculture and trade, co-chaired by Kieni MP Kanini Kega and Adan Haji of Mandera East. The matter had already triggered public concern after the report was shot down in the House.
Fifteen MPs were interviewed as witnesses. Some had been mentioned in the allegations, while others said they had information suggesting money changed hands.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa told the committee that Wajir woman representative Fatuma Gedi offered him a bribe inside the chambers. Gedi denied the claim and said she had never interacted with Barasa before the allegations surfaced, adding that she only came to know him through the media.
Barasa also said Sirisia MP John Waluke saw Gedi trying to bribe him, but Waluke denied that account.
Matayos MP Geoffrey Odanga told the committee that Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui informed him that Sh20,000 was being distributed to members to persuade them to reject the report.
Kiambu woman representative Gathoni Wamuchomba said she noticed unusual movement around the members’ lounge and lobbies before the debate. She said she did not personally see Gedi bribing anyone, but heard the claims from conversations among other MPs.
Gedi dismissed Wamuchomba’s account as a vendetta linked to their contest for the position of chairperson of caucus 47, which Gedi won.
The committee also said the CCTV cameras did not cover the members’ dining lounges in the new wing or the ablution facilities, which were said to be among the places where the bribery took place during consideration of the Sugar Report.
Based on the witness statements, the committee said some MPs may have engaged in impropriety and that there was a possible breach of privilege and the code of conduct by some members.
