ELIJAH AMBASA
Africa-Press – Kenya. The weakest link in Kenya’s fight against corruption remains Parliament. If the claims made by governors earlier this week are anything to go by, the legislature has once again emerged as a major obstacle rather than a partner in accountability.
This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. Last year, the President openly stated that huge amounts of money routinely changed hands in the corridors of Parliament whenever vetting or impeachment proceedings were underway.
In August 2025, while addressing the devolution conference in Homa Bay, President William Ruto accused members of Parliament of breeding corruption by demanding bribes from Cabinet secretaries and governors. At the time, these remarks appeared alarming, yet little seems to have changed.
This time, it is governors accusing lawmakers of soliciting bribes in exchange for favourable outcomes in Senate proceedings. The recurrence of these claims points to a systemic problem that cannot be ignored or wished away.
The fight against corruption can only make meaningful progress if the legislature chooses to play its rightful role. Parliament is meant to be the people’s watchdog, not a marketplace where public accountability is auctioned to the highest bidder. When those tasked with oversight are themselves accused of rent-seeking, the entire anti-corruption agenda is fundamentally undermined.
The most important step the governors could take is to name names. While fears of political retaliation may be real, silence only protects the corrupt and entrenches the vice. If governors have evidence of lawmakers soliciting bribes, they should present it to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and any other investigative agencies.
Naming and shaming, backed by evidence, is a necessary step towards restoring integrity in public institutions. Without concrete information, investigative bodies are left chasing political shadows.
The ongoing standoff between the Senate and county governments ultimately harms ordinary citizens. In this power struggle, service delivery stalls, development projects are delayed and public trust in these institutions erodes. Meanwhile, wananchi are left vulnerable, caught between political brinkmanship and institutional failures.
The governors vs Senate confrontation comes at a particularly sensitive time. Recent audit reports have raised serious concerns about stalled projects and questionable expenditure in several counties.
For some governors, these findings may have provided enough incentive to resist scrutiny and paint oversight as politically motivated persecution. For some senators, the stalemate conveniently disrupts their alleged rent-seeking ventures. In both cases, accountability becomes collateral damage.
Several corrective steps are urgently needed. First, investigative agencies must act decisively and independently on all corruption allegations, whether they involve governors or legislators. No office should be shielded from investigation.
Second, parliamentary oversight committees, particularly those dealing with public accounts and investments, should be periodically reconstituted. Regular reconstitution can help restore credibility and reduce parliamentary committee capture by entrenched interests.
The failure of the Powers and Privileges Committee to investigate past bribery allegations has already discredited it as a mechanism for handling such serious claims.
Finally, legislators must remember that oversight is not a favour to the public; it is a constitutional duty. The fight against corruption cannot succeed when institutions charged with enforcing accountability are themselves compromised. Until Parliament cleans its own house, it will remain the weakest link in a chain that Kenyans desperately need to hold.
Source: The Star
