National Assembly Chief Whip Silvanus Osoro now says he was misquoted after he admitted to using underhand tactics to defeat the opposition in the vote on the Finance Bill, 2023.
Speaking during a UDA recruitment drive in Kitutu Chache South Constituency last Thursday, Osoro reportedly said that the Kenya Kwanza government spent a lot of money to manipulate Azimio MPs to stay away from parliament during the vote so that it could pass with little opposition.
“I had to look for ways, by hook or by crook, to get it through, I had to manipulate systems, I looked for ways to get the opposition MPs to play our tune, I conspired with the opposition MPs and got some of them to absent themselves from the House so that I could get the numbers. Some were sponsored to go abroad while others were bribed to feign illness,” Osoro claimed as reported by the Nation.
On Saturday however, the South Mugirango MP changed tune saying he was misquoted by the media. Speaking at Calib secondary school in West Pokot County, Osoro claimed that he invited a few Azimio MPs to share a ‘bowl of soup’ at the Parliament’s canteen.
“I am in charge of catering in the catering committee in parliament and I just said that I invited members from the opposition and I put them in the kitchen where our mess hall is and we had pumpkin soup now you went and changed that saying that a bowl of soup translates to money, MPs take soup as well,” Osoro claimed.
The outspoken lawmaker also maintained that the Kenya Kwanza government did not bribe Azimio MPs.
“The government did not use a single cent to convince Azimio MPs to vote they just did not show up. People should stop soiling the government’s name and those of MPs.”
