Former Gatundu South MP and ex-Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has reignited debate on corruption in Parliament by repeating claims that the Uhuru Kenyatta administration paid lawmakers to oust Aden Duale as National Assembly Majority Leader in 2020.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s The Explainer, Kuria alleged that each MP received Ksh.100,000 to support Duale’s replacement with then Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya after a Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting chaired by former President Uhuru Kenyatta at the KICC.
What exactly did Moses Kuria say?
“In the 12th Parliament, we were given some money by the Uhuru Kenyatta regime to remove Aden Duale as the Majority Leader. It is on Hansard that I waved the money I was given there. You cannot say it doesn’t happen,” Kuria stated.
He added: “We were given Ksh.100,000 per person to remove Aden Duale and put in place Amos Kimunya. And I went to the floor of the House and said this is the money I was given and I offered to give it back.”
Kuria first made the allegation in 2021 during a BBC interview, where he admitted accepting the money, describing such “facilitation” as routine in Parliamentary lobbying.
Why was Duale removed from his position?
The Jubilee Party was at the time cracking down on MPs allied to then Deputy President William Ruto, with Duale being among the most high-profile casualties. His removal signaled the party’s intent to neutralize dissent during a period of deep internal wrangles.
How does this connect to today’s bribery debate?
Kuria’s revived claims come just as President William Ruto has accused MPs of extorting officials, Governors, and other leaders for favorable committee outcomes. During the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, Ruto condemned lawmakers for running what he described as “soko huru,” an extortion system where individuals summoned by committees pay money to avoid harsh grilling or damaging reports.
Reiterating his stance at a Kenya Kwanza-ODM Parliamentary Group meeting, the President revealed intelligence reports of a Senate committee allegedly receiving Ksh.150 million in bribes. “Under the position I hold, I am a consumer of raw intelligence; I know what is going on,” Ruto said. “Where does somebody find Ksh.150 million. That is money that belongs to the county.”
While Ruto pushes for accountability, Kuria insists inducements in Parliament are an open secret. “It is bound to happen,” he said, adding that pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
By Lucky Anyanje