MP calls for parliamentary probe into Ruto’s Ksh10M bribery claim
By Mabonga Makhanu, August 19, 2025Endebes MP Robert Pukose has called for a full investigation into President William Ruto’s recent claim that members of a parliamentary committee were bribed Ksh10 million to pass the Money Laundering Bill.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Pukose said that Parliament had been put in an embarrassing situation following the President’s remarks.
He noted that it was possible the Head of State had been misled by whoever provided him with the information, adding that if Ksh10 million was indeed given, then the person who handed over the money must clearly state who received it and who had given it to him to take to parliament. Pukose argued that such an individual should be able to account for where the money went and to whom it was delivered.
“To me, I suppose that most likely the Head of State might have been lied to by whoever took the information to him, that that person took Ksh10 million to the JLAC.” Pukose said
He insisted that the matter must be thoroughly investigated to establish the truth, stressing that Members of Parliament needed to clear their names since the accusations by the president had caused the public to view them as extortionists and thieves.
“Because if Ksh10 million was given, then the person who gave the Ksh10 million must state very clearly to whom he gave the Ksh10 million, because it seems that person should be able to account for the Ksh10 million.
“Where did you take the money, and most likely to whom? This must be investigated, and the truth unearthed so that all of us can be clean because when we go out, people are looking at us as thieves and extortionists,” Pukose stated.
Ruto’s accusation
This follows President William Ruto’s claim that some Members of Parliament received bribes of up to Ksh10 million to influence the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The president made the accusation during a joint parliamentary group meeting with ODM and Kenya Kwanza MPs on August 18, 2025, in Karen, where he specifically pointed to certain members of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC).