Busia Woman Rep Catherine Omanyo claimed that someone attempted to bribe her to draft a favorable report in the impeachment case against embattled Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.
Omanyo stated that most of the committee members tasked with determining Linturi’s fate were approached with bribes to support the CS.
“Someone came to me with Kes.2 million, and another came saying the money had increased to Kes.3 million because the report against Linturi was hot. At some point these people asked me to state what I wanted to favour the CS,” Omanyo revealed in an interview with Citizen TV.
She disclosed that while some committee members accepted bribes, others refused to compromise.
“It was very heated during committee sittings. At some point, we almost got physical because of the bribery within the committee. We had to retreat to cool off before we resumed sittings,” the lawmaker added.
Omanyo asserted that the allegations against Linturi were evident, and he should not have escaped blame for the fake fertilizer scandal.
Linturi survived impeachment with seven out of eleven committee members voting in his favor.
Opposition MPs Echo Linturi Impeachment Bribery Claims
Opposition MPs, angered by Linturi’s survival, accused committee members of being bribed to protect him.
Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo claimed to have knowledge of corruption among the committee members.
“I have been informed by some members of the select committee about allegations of impropriety and misconduct. This matter should be referred to the powers and privileges committee because if proven true, it could invalidate the report. It’s inappropriate to discuss the report without addressing this issue,” he stated.
Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi criticized the committee’s decision, describing it as a case of a few individuals overturning the House’s decision.
“There’s a greater moral obligation on the cabinet secretary and the appointing authority, given the overwhelming 149-against-36 vote in this House last Thursday. This matter should not even have gone to the select committee stage,” Wandayi asserted.
He urged Parliament not to acknowledge Linturi as the Minister of Agriculture until President Ruto dismisses him.
