Caleb Amisi dismisses Ruto’s tough talk on bribery as mere hypocrisy
By Joel Masibo, August 19, 2025Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has responded to President William Ruto following his recent remarks linking Parliament to corruption, likening the fight against graft to a political chessboard.
Taking to his X account on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Amisi dismissed the president’s comments as hypocritical, accusing the Kenya Kwanza administration of lacking the moral authority to lecture the nation on corruption.
“The fight against corruption in this country is only but just a political chessboard, a gimmick, and a charade,” Amisi said, adding that the current administration was deeply entangled in the very vice it claims to be fighting.
Diverting public attention
According to the ODM legislator, corruption is not born in Parliament but rather “cooked, conceived, and packaged” within the Executive’s inner circles. He cautioned the President against diverting public attention from the failures of his government by scapegoating Parliament.
Amisi also revisited the June 2024 anti-government protests, where scores of young people lost their lives during demonstrations against the Finance Bill and rising cost of living. He accused the Head of State of silencing the same Gen Z movement that had demanded accountability and change.
“The #GenZ were right to call for change but you killed many of them. Others are still rotting in jail. They wanted to change the country that you have destroyed for many years,” Amisi charged.
The Saboti MP argued that Kenyans deserve genuine reforms and a transparent war on corruption rather than political theatrics. His sentiments come amid heightened tension between the Executive and Parliament following Ruto’s claims that legislators have been captured by corrupt interests.
On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, President Ruto issued a stern warning to parliamentary committees engaging in corrupt practices, saying it can no longer be “business as usual” in the fight against graft. The Head of State expressed his dismay over claims that certain committees demand bribes, payments to write reports, or turn a blind eye to irregularities in both county and national governments.
Amisi’s remarks add to a growing list of leaders questioning the sincerity of the government’s anti-graft agenda, with critics saying it is selectively applied and politically motivated.