Impeachment or negotiation? Ruto’s Sh150million bribe claims against Senators during unnamed governor’s impeachment expose dark side of Parliament
Guyo’s rebuttal directed to the president comes even as impeccable sources indicate that multiple firms have controversially received colossal amounts of money running into hundreds of millions associated with questionable supplies, with a majority of the firms cited being domiciled in Nairobi. A blow by blow account of the companies cited as having received the controversial payments will be laid bare in our subsequent exposé
The recent indictment against the Senate by President William Ruto over alleged Sh150million bribery claims to save an unnamed governor from apparent impeachment proceedings has exposed Parliament’s dark side, the designated oversight arm of government against the Executive.
At the time when the president dropped the shocking bombshell on August 18, 2025, Isiolo governor Abdi Hassan Guyo was the latest to face impeachment proceedings before the Senate but he survived.
In a quick rejoinder directed to the president, the Isiolo challenged President Ruto to table evidence to back his explosive claim that senators received Sh150million to save an unnamed governor from accountability.
Guyo’s rebuttal directed to the president comes even as impeccable sources indicate that multiple firms have controversially received colossal amounts of money running into hundreds of millions associated with questionable supplies, with a majority of the companies cited being domiciled in Nairobi. A blow by blow account of the firms cited as having received the controversial payments will be laid bare in our subsequent exposé.
Before his elevation to the current position of Isiolo governor, Guyo served as the Kayole Member of the County Assembly and the Majority Leader of the Nairobi County Assembly.
Guyo, who survived an impeachment in Senate in July, warned that such allegations cannot remain at the level of political rhetoric.
Guyo urged the President to present proof before the relevant parliamentary bodies instead of making sweeping statements.
“If he has evidence that there are senators who were bribed, he should table it before the Powers and Privileges Committee,” Guyo said.
“The committee will investigate, and if there are senators found culpable, then the necessary anti-corruption agencies will take action.”
His remarks came after President Ruto, during a joint Kenya Kwanza–ODM Parliamentary Group meeting in Karen on August 18, accused lawmakers of turning oversight roles into avenues for extortion.
Ruto specifically suggested that senators had allegedly pocketed up to Sh150 million to influence proceedings.
“Where does one even get Sh150 million? Did you know that a few members of parliament collected Sh10million so that you could pass the Anti-Money Laundering Bill? We are not going to shame them. We are going to arrest them. Whoever is giving and whoever is being given, we are going to sort them out,” Ruto said.
The President’s claims have placed the Senate under renewed scrutiny, amplifying long-running accusations that impeachment hearings often resemble a soko huru (free market) where governors’ survival depends on political bargaining and financial inducements.
The debate comes just weeks after Governor Guyo narrowly survived an impeachment motion that collapsed on procedural grounds a case that itself reignited speculation about money changing hands in Senate proceedings.
President William Ruto accused members of the National Assembly and the Senate of demanding bribes from government officials appearing before parliamentary and Senate committees.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County on August 13, 2025, Ruto said several Cabinet secretaries and governors had fallen victim to the alleged extortion.
He warned that the practice undermines the fight against corruption and urged the speakers of both houses to act.
“Parliament must be called out. Something is going on in our Legislature that we must call out. There is money being demanded from the Executive, governors, and ministers, especially those who go for accountability before our houses of parliament,” said Ruto.
“Mr Speaker, it cannot continue to be business as usual. It is not possible that Parliament committees continue to demand to be bribed for them to write reports or they look the other way on what is happening in the national government or the counties,” he added.
Questions have been raised about how parliamentary committees conduct investigations into contentious matters such as the privatisation of state assets, with claims that some of the officials appearing received protection after they allegedly greased the palms of some MPs.
“I am a consumer of raw intelligence. The latest ‘soko huru’ in the Senate… where does someone find Sh150 million? Is that his money? That is money that belongs to the county!” President Ruto revealed.
The revelation by Ruto came weeks after Guyo was spared on what the legislators termed a technicality, even as rumours went round that the influence of money and political muscle in high-stakes Senate proceedings.
Adding to the allegations, there were claims that the Isiolo County Assembly was never involved in the budget-making process for the devolved unit, which was mysteriously published by the government printer without legal authorization.
Activists from the county stated that Guyo wanted the budget printed and not passed by the assembly because of the disparities in it.
They have consistently called upon the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to initiate full-scale investigations, even though they have remained skeptical about whether justice will be served.
“The county is an ATM run by a network of cartels,” An administrator from the County government of Isiolo stated.
Last week on Friday, August 29, 2025, Kericho Governor Erick Mutai walked out of the Senate chambers a free man after surviving a second impeachment bid in a tense and closely watched ouster battle ended in his favour.
This is after the Senate, by a majority vote, established that the County Assembly failed to meet the required threshold to oust the governor.
In a majority vote, 26 senators affirmed that the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) did not reach the two-thirds majority needed to impeach the governor.
Meanwhile, 16 MCAs voted to confirm that the assembly met the required numbers to pass the motion.
One senator abstained. This marks the second time in less than a year that Governor Mutai has avoided impeachment on procedural grounds.
The first attempt in October 2024 collapsed after his legal team successfully argued that the motion fell short of the two-thirds threshold required by the Constitution 31 votes instead of the minimum 32—and the Senate invalidated the motion on those technical grounds.
The Senate’s decision followed three days of marathon hearings. The Assembly had levelled multiple charges against the governor, including abuse of office, financial impropriety, illegal dismissals, and allegations of fictitious payments.
During the proceedings, Governor Mutai contested the credibility of the electronic voting system used by the MCAs to pass the impeachment motion.
The MCAs had reported that 33 out of 47 members voted in support of the impeachment.
