The parliament of Kenya is under public scrutiny, owing to recent allegations by President William Ruto that corruption is rampant in the honorable House.
President Ruto let the cat out of the basket, alleging that MPs have been demanding bribe from Governors and Cabinet Secretaries before they were grilled.
According to Kenya's Constitution there are three known functions of legislators which include: oversight, representation and legislation.
How Parliament executes its oversight role
Most presidential appointees are vetted by respective parliamentary committees before subsequent approval and ratification.
Governors and Cabinet Secretaries are subject to be summoned and grilled by respective committees drawn from either the Senate or the National Assembly.
How bribery manifests itself in Parliament
Several unsubstantiated reports indicate that MPs demand cash from those leaders who are subject to appear before them in order to mitigate harsh accountability queries directed to them while being grilled.
Kenya legislators receive bribes to pass crucial bills such as the Finance Bill.
It's alleged that legislators received bribe to pass the Housing levy Bill, the Anti Money Laundering Bill and the Social Health Assurance (SHA) Bill.
The question that arises is, who bribed the MPs to pass the Housing Levy Bill and the SHA Bill?
Is the Executive responsible for the passing of government sponsored Bills.
The buck of corruption in the legislature stops with the president.
MPs have asked National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to summon President William Ruto to shed more light on corruption allegations against members of parliament.
Will the president be audacious enough to mention those MPs who have been bribed?
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