Ababu demands to be grilled in public over graft claims

Embattled Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Ababu Namwamba on Wednesday demanded that his grilling over bribery allegations be done in public, sending the probe team back to the drawing board.

Mr Namwamba appeared before the Powers and Privileges Committee chaired by Kuresoi MP Moses Cheboi. He also demanded that his accusers appear before the committee and make their complaints before he responds.

The conditions stalled the committee’s first day of grilling and Mr Namwamba will Thursday morning meet the team to get a response on his objections.

This came as the Bundalang’i MP sent a protest letter to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, arguing that the committee had widened the investigation to include matters outside its mandate. 

PAC has been dogged by infighting over the fate of several of its investigation reports and claims of bribery and extortion to alter or misplace key documents.

“I have indicated to the probe committee that the normal order of doing things is that those who have allegations to make against me should do so first and the committee frames the questions before I can respond to them,” said Mr Namwamba at Parliament buildings.

“The House has conducted hearings in the open including when vetting persons to public offices like Cabinet secretaries. This probe should be in the open as Kenyans have taken keen interest in it,” he added.

Last Thursday, Mr Muturi directed the Committee on Powers and Privileges to investigate allegations of corruption against PAC and report to the House within 21 days. He also suspended the committee’s operations.

Mr Namwamba narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in him as PAC chairman at a committee session marked with name-calling and counter accusations of high level bribery.

READ: Speaker suspends Ababu team operations in probe

Following the vote, several MPs called for the disbandment of the House team. On Wednesday Mr Namwamba, who was accompanied by eight MPs, said he was ready to subject himself to any investigation that is “fair, just and open.”

He said that he will appear before the committee this morning to receive the outcome of the preliminary objections and possibly proceed with the substantive appearance.

“We agreed that whatever issues the committee is delving into have to be framed clearly so that I know what I should respond to.

“If there is anybody accusing me of anything, they should be given an opportunity to say what he or she is accusing me of so I respond on record,” he said.

Mr Namwamba has denied receiving bribes, but says he has a recording of some MPS admitting receiving inducements.

He said that he secretly recorded a confession by an official in a conversation that included Cord leader Raila Odinga.

Mr Namwamba was responding to an accusation that he was paid Sh5 million by an unnamed person in the Office of the President, which he was to allegedly share with other PAC members, to influence a probe into the security department’s accounts.