A member of the Kenyan parliament identified as Moses Kuria has admitted that he received a $1,000 (£700) bribe in parliament last year to back the appointment of the majority leader of the house.
The MP said; ‘It is not unusual for members to get this kind of an inducement,” adding he would return the payment.
Mr. Kuria made the remarks as he and two other colleagues are to be censured for alleging pay-outs were made to back a recent constitutional amendment bill.
Majority leader Amos Kimunya has denied that bribes are paid in parliament.
Read Also: Eritrea Sets 36 Christians Jailed For Their Faith Free
Mr. Kimunya was asked to respond to Mr. Kuria’s specific allegation but has not yet had a response.
Kenyan MPs are some of the best-paid lawmakers in the world – and officials estimate the East African nation loses billions of dollars every year to corruption.
Mr. Kuria said he had witnessed corruption many times in parliament.
‘And it has happened countless times for the eight years that I’ve been in parliament,’ he told BBC’s Newsday programme monitored by Africa Today News, New York
‘Obviously these things don’t happen on camera.’
He gave the appointment of Mr Kimunya as an example. He replaced Aden Duale as majority leader in the national assembly last June.
The MP for the Gatundu South constituency admitted that the corrupt practices were wrong.
‘It is wrong. And I think yes… given an opportunity I would refund at least the one I can most vividly recall,‘ he said.
‘I’ll probably do [it] today… refund the $1,000 that I did receive to vote in Amos Kimunya as the leader of the majority.’ he added.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK