Ledama asks Ruto to extend corruption purge to cabinet
By Joel Masibo, August 19, 2025Narok Senator Ledama Olekina has criticised President William Ruto for linking Members of Parliament to corruption while failing to address the vice from within his circle.
In his Tuesday, August 19, 2025, response to the Head of State, Olekina questioned Ruto’s sincerity in tackling corruption, pointing the finger instead at State House operatives and members of the Cabinet, whom he claims are the true architects of mega scandals.
“So now spammers are enlisted in the ‘war on corruption’, leaving no curtains intact, but can we finally talk about the real theatre? Multibillion-shilling tenders skewed to State House operatives and Cabinet secretaries. Mr. President, start there as you attack Parliament,” Olekina said in a post on social media.
Olekina’s remarks come in the wake of President Ruto’s assertion that MPs have been complicit in perpetuating corruption networks, particularly through inflated budgets and questionable oversight of government expenditure.
Corruption within the Executive and Cabinet
But Olekina insists the rot runs deeper within the Executive, accusing senior government figures of manipulating lucrative tenders. The senator furthure challenged the President to lead by example by scrutinising tender allocations linked to his close allies rather than shifting blame entirely to Parliament.
The exchange highlights growing tensions between the Executive and Legislature over accountability and the handling of corruption cases.
On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, President William Ruto warned 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.
“Mr Speaker, it can’t continue to be business as usual. It is not possible that committees of Parliament demand to be bribed, demand to be paid for them to write reports or look the other way for what is happening in either the county or national government,” Ruto said after officially opening a devolution conference in Homa Bay County.
Ledama Olekina becomes the latest political leader to blast the Head of State of corruption in Parliament. Recently, former legislator Kabando Wa Kabando described Ruto as the mastermind of graft.
The former Mukurweini MP added that it is laughable for Ruto to accuse the National Assembly of corruption while he is also a player in the particular game. ”Where President Ruto accused MPs of being corrupt, he spoke face-to-face to members of the Senate, National Assembly and MCAs, even Governors, who he has just recently bribed, multiple times. Chief briber accusing those he has bribed is comic!” Wa Kabando took to his X account on Wednesday night, August 13, 2025.