Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap./FILE
Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap has called on President William Ruto to reveal the names of government officials and lawmakers allegedly implicated in bribery to block certain bills in the House.
Makilap said Kenyans deserve to know who is sabotaging the fight against graft, warning that failure to disclose names only fuels speculation and mistrust.
"We've even asked the President (Ruto) to name names of the members of parliament who are corrupt because we support the fight against corruption in Kenya because we always play our roles of oversight, representation, and legislation without coercion or being bribed to do so," the legislator said.
"So if there are some few elements within us that are corrupt, let the President, because he is a consumer of raw intelligence, bring forward the names of those who have issues of corruption so that they can be prosecuted before a court of law."
His remarks come days after President Ruto issued a strong warning to Members of Parliament over bribery allegations.
Speaking during a joint parliamentary group meeting with MPs from his UDA party and ODM on Monday, Ruto accused some lawmakers of extorting public officials appearing before House committees.
The President cited an incident in which a governor allegedly spent Sh150 million to compromise senators and another where an MP reportedly pocketed Sh10 million to influence changes in an anti-money laundering law.
“Instead of shaming this person, we will arrest them,” Ruto declared, promising to act on intelligence reports linking legislators to bribery. His comments sparked uproar in Parliament, with some MPs demanding evidence.
Homabay Senator Moses Kajwang’, who chairs the County Public Investments and Accounts Committee, challenged the President to present proof before the Privileges Committee.
“The House has powers to summon any person, including the President as a witness,” Kajwang’ said.
Ruto has since established an 11-member multi-agency task force to spearhead his war on corruption.
The team, domiciled under the State Department of Justice, brings together key institutions, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Makilap now wants the President to match words with action by publicly identifying corrupt officials and ensuring they are prosecuted.
The push by the Baringo North MP adds to growing pressure on the government to demonstrate seriousness in tackling graft, an issue that has haunted successive administrations in Kenya.
