Kenyan MPs at a past session of parliament. Corruption scandals involving MPs have shocked Kenyans given that they are some of the best remunerated elected representatives in the world. (Photo/http://uchaguzi.co.ke)

Kenyan MPs at a past session of parliament. Corruption scandals involving MPs have shocked Kenyans given that they are some of the best remunerated elected representatives in the world. (Photo/http://uchaguzi.co.ke)

As an inquiry continues into allegations that members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) took bribes to influence their findings into an investigation into how billions of public funds disappeared in the lead up to the 2013 election, we bring you the latest in a series of articles by an insider in the corridors of power that lay bare how corruption cartels are bringing Kenya to its knees.

In this piece Capt (Rtd) Collins Wanderi, the Chairman Kenya Institute of Forensic Auditors, exposes the extent to which our current MPs have become the “new lords of impunity” and why experience has taught him not to share what he knows with the concerned authorities.

PART 4: Corruption inside Parliament.

  1. The highest amount of bribe ever reported to have been given to a Public/State Officer in Kenya is Sh. 800 Million (USD $ 10,000,000). This amount is said to have been paid to an MP in the 10th Parliament. At the time, the recipient was the Chairman of one of the most powerful, prestigious and highly sought after Departmental Committees of the “August” House. This bribe is reported to have been paid by a multinational company which had won a very lucrative international tender awarded by a State Agency. This MP had to be flown out of the country to receive the bribe since transferring and transacting such an amount in Kenya would have raised eyebrows and/or prompted the intervention of industry regulators. After this MP’s trip abroad, this deal was subsequently “approved” by all Government watchdogs including the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB). This man has subsequently been mentioned in other corrupt and shady deals, which include and are not limited to transnational crime in foreign countries.
  1. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly is currently under probe for corruption. A member of the PAC used to pester people I know very well with requests for as little as sh20, 000 or sh10, 000 every weekend before he joined the PAC. Now, our common friends tell me he takes helicopter ride to his rural home every other weekend. For those who may not know, its costs between Sh250,000/= to sh350,000/= to hire a helicopter for one hour depending on the craft’s Life Cycle Cost (LCC).
  1. You are free to speculate on the names of the persons I am speaking about here but do it in your own mind. Do not even bother to tell me to report to any agency of Government. I have been in this game longer than most of you. I know how these things are done and the risks involved. Do not ask me which side of the political divide (Parties/Coalitions) these two characters belong to. In my books all politicians are the same; irredeemable bloodsuckers; brothers and sisters whose common genetic thread is appetite for public resources and free things.

Coming up in PART 5: How MPs are abusing Parliamentary Privilege to mint millions of shillings from State Corporations & Other Government/State Agencies.

The author is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and the Chairman Kenya Institute of Forensic Auditors. You can follow him on Twitter @DecaptainCFE.