HOMA BAY, Kenya — President William Ruto has issued one of his strongest condemnations yet of corruption within Kenya’s political and governance systems, singling out Parliament committees, the Judiciary, and county governments as key battlegrounds in the fight to protect public resources.
Speaking on Wednesday at the 2025 Biennial Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, the President accused some members of Parliament of running what he described as “bribery rackets” within House committees.
MPs Under Fire for Bribery Demands
Ruto alleged that lawmakers, through various committees, have been soliciting money from the Executive, Cabinet secretaries, and governors in exchange for favourable reports or to ignore wrongdoing.
“It is not possible that committees of Parliament demand to be bribed, demand to be paid for them to write reports or look the other way for what is happening in either the county or national government,” he said.
He called on National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to “take firm action” and restore integrity in parliamentary oversight.
Judiciary Warned Against Shielding the Corrupt
The President also criticised the Judiciary for enabling corrupt individuals to evade justice through what he termed “innovations unique to Kenya” — such as anticipatory bail.
“We have innovations… which allow a corrupt person or someone who has stolen public resources not to be prosecuted. It is something that takes us backwards,” Ruto said.
He urged judicial officers to ensure the courts are not a safe haven for economic crimes suspects.
A Call for All-of-Society Action
Ruto stressed that the war on graft cannot be left to government agencies alone, framing it as an “all-of-society engagement” that requires citizens, institutions, and leaders to work together.
“Our greatest challenge is not the inadequacy of resources, but how we utilise what we have,” he said, linking corruption to wastage and inefficiency across the public sector.
Devolution Gains — and a Push for Accountability
While his remarks on corruption dominated headlines, Ruto also used the conference to highlight milestones in devolution since 2013.
He announced the full transfer of all 14 devolved functions to counties, alongside the handover of immovable public assets — land and buildings — under Gazette Notice No. 11164 of August 12, 2025. This, he said, ends 12 years of disputes over service delivery roles.
Counties will also receive a record KSh 415 billion in the 2025/26 budget, nearly KSh 30 billion more than last year, supported by new laws strengthening revenue sharing and county assembly roles.
Digital Tools in the Anti-Corruption Arsenal
The President pointed to the success of the eCitizen platform, which now processes more than KSh 1 billion daily from over 22,000 digital services, as proof that technology can cut waste and boost transparency.
Counties like Mombasa, Kiambu, and Kajiado have seen revenue growth of up to 61% after integrating their systems into eCitizen — gains Ruto said are directly linked to reduced opportunities for bribery.
