Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo has made startling claims of attempted bribery in the impeachment proceedings against Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.
In an interview with Citizen TV, Omanyo disclosed that individuals had approached her, offering bribes to sway her report favorably towards Linturi.
“Someone came to me with Ksh.2 million, and another came saying the money had increased to Ksh.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 said.
Omanyo revealed that she was offered Ksh.2 million initially, with the amount escalating to Ksh.3 million, indicating the urgency of the situation. She further stated that pressure was exerted on her to articulate her demands to favor the embattled CS.
Moreover, Omanyo shed light on the contentious atmosphere within the committee tasked with determining Linturi’s fate, asserting that bribery attempts led to heated confrontations among members. She emphasized that while some succumbed to corruption, others steadfastly refused to compromise their integrity.
“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,” Omanyo added.
The Busia Woman Rep underscored the gravity of the allegations against Linturi, particularly in the fake fertilizer scandal, asserting that accountability must be upheld.
Linturi managed to survive impeachment with seven out of eleven committee members voting in his favor. However, opposition MPs expressed outrage, alleging bribery among committee members to secure Linturi’s exoneration.
Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo raised concerns over corruption within the committee, urging referral to the powers and privileges committee. Speaker Moses Wetangula dismissed these allegations, emphasizing the need for specific motions against accused members.
Meanwhile, Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi condemned the committee’s decision, labeling it as a reversal of the House’s stance. He urged Parliament to withhold recognition of Linturi as Agriculture Minister until President Ruto takes action and dismisses him from office.
