“I cannot be bribed with Sh10,000, that is cheap.”

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Two MPs from Turkana county have dismissed claims that lawmakers were bribed to shoot down the contraband sugar report tabled in Parliament.

Turkana West MP Daniel Epuyo and his Turkana South counterpart James Lomenen, who spoke to a local Daily, said MPs’ names are being tarnished.

On Monday, a local newspaper Weekly Citizen published the names of lawmakers it claims received bribes to frustrate the report tabled by the Agriculture and Trade committee last week on Thursday.

Epuyo said he was not in Parliament when the report came up, because he had accompanied Deputy President Wiliam Ruto on a two-day tour of Turkana county.

The MP said his family, friends and relatives know he cannot be bribed.”I cannot be bribed with Sh10,000, that is cheap. Whoever included my name on the list should face the law,” he said.

A file photo of Turkana MP James Lomenen.

Lomenen also trashed the bribery allegations.”The poisonous sugar probe is a serious matter. We owe out people answers. We’re not desperate to stoop low and take a Sh10,000 bribe,” he said.

Lomenen said anyone with evidence showing MPs were bribed to reject the report should take it to investigative agencies. The names of all the six Members of Parliament were on the list.

Bribery Claims

Bribery claims rocked Parliamenton Friday as MPs ganged up to trash a committee report on sugar that had implicated Cabinet secretaries Henry Rotich [Treasury] and Adan Mohamed [EAC].

Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati crossexamines Treasury CS Henry Rotich (not in picture) when he appeared before the joint committees on trade and agriculture for investigations on claims of poisonous sugar in the market, June 25, 2018. /JACK OWUOR

Debate was punctuated by protests and claims of bribery from across the divide as MPs closed ranks to jettison recommendations against Rotich, Adan and former Agriculture CS Willy Bett.

In the most ignoble scene yet, lawmakers were seen openly scrambling for Sh30,000 allegedly dished out to shoot down the report.It all began ten minutes before the afternoon sitting with the suspect movement of legislators to a room in the New Wing Bar of the Senate where the ‘facilitation’ fee was quickly dished out.

The lawmakers soon formed a long queue as an MP from Rift Valley held a list allegedly containing names of beneficiaries.

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It was not clear the source of the money or whom it was intended to shield from indictment.

“We cannot pass a report whose members cannot agree on anything. I am aware of some members meeting before the session to share some loot but we will shoot it down purely on our own conviction,” an MP who sought anonymity shouted as he headed towards the chambers.

Minority leader John Mbadi made reference to the bribery claims when he shot up to oppose the amendments saying: “I don’t want to be seen to have benefited from the rumour going round in the House.”

“I had to leave the President’s event to come to the House late so that I am not seen to have eaten,” said Majority leader Aden Duale, giving credence to reports that MPs pocketed paltry amounts to sacrifice the public interest.

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Had MPs adopted three sweeping amendments by Homa Bay woman representative Gladys Wanga, the President would have been compelled to step down Rotich and Adan from the Cabinet.

Wanga wanted the ‘scandalous’ report amended to hold Rotich responsible for failing to specify the quantity and quality of sugar that was to be imported during the duty-free window last year.

She also wanted Rotich to take responsibility for the excess 453,7560 metric tonnes of sugar imported during the waiver period.

Image result for Gladys Wanga in Parliament

“The CS should be held responsible for the over-importation of sugar. If this is not killing the sugar industry in the country, then tell me what it is,” she said.

Wanga, who was backed by frustrated MPs from the sugar-growing counties of Western and Nyanza regions, also wanted firms that imported the commodity to be punished. The proposal was rejected.

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