Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has acknowledged that claims by President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga about some MPs soliciting bribes may have a basis in truth.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sudi alleged that while some legislators have been involved in corruption, it is not representative of all Members of Parliament.
“The statements by the President and Raila are true, but not all MPs are involved,” Sudi claimed.
He alleged that even in the Senate, corrupt practices involve a minority.
“However, some Senators have allegedly engaged in graft,” he claimed.
Sudi compared corrupt MPs to egg thieves and questioned why other senior government officials are not held to similar scrutiny.
“MPs who have engaged in corruption are like egg thieves. But what about Governors, Parastatal MDs and DGs, and some Principal Secretaries? What fate awaits these chicken thieves?” he asked.
His comments come after both Ruto and Raila accused certain MPs of soliciting bribes to approve government appointments and pass legislation.
During a joint Kenya Kwanza–ODM Parliamentary Group meeting at the KCB Leadership Centre in Karen, President Ruto alleged that some legislators were treating parliamentary committees as marketplaces where legislation and oversight are traded for cash.
Ruto claimed that some MPs received Sh10 million to delay the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill.
He described the alleged activities as a “soko huru” (open-air market) that drains public resources and undermines anti-corruption efforts.
“Do you, for example, know that a few members of your committee collected Sh10 million so that you don’t pass that law on anti-money laundering?” the President asked.
“For example, the latest soko huru in the Senate. By the position I hold, I am a consumer of raw intelligence; I know what is going on. Where does somebody find Sh150 million? That is money that belongs to the county,” he added.
MPs across party lines pushed back, saying the President’s statements malign the institution and undermine its integrity.
Raila, meanwhile, stressed that MPs’ primary role is lawmaking and oversight, not development projects. He added that funds for development are now executed through devolved units.
