Murang’a MCAs Reject Ruto’s Invitation Amidst Claims of Ksh300,000 Bribe

Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) drawn from Murang’a County rejected President William Ruto’s State House invitation, claiming they were offered Ksh300,000 to attend the meeting.
Speaking on Friday, September 12, the MCAs, who were with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accused Ruto of facilitating massive graft at State House, despite previous pledges to weed out the vice.
As per Kariara ward MCA Gichofe Mbatia, all the Murang’a MCAs rejected the call, detailing that they had all received calls to attend the meeting, with anassurance of receiving a monetary reward.
“We are here, as the Murang’a County Assembly, and it is good to inform the country that all of us received invitations to go to State House today. All the MCAs were promised that if we honoured that invitation and went to State House, we would receive Ksh300,000 each,” he noted.
“But, these honourable members from the Murang’a County Assembly decided that they were not going to take Ksh300,000, as a bribe, which we know very well is coming from graft. It is money that is supposed to go to capitation and healthcare, but instead it is being dished out as bribes in State House,” he added.
Mbatia noted that instead of going to State House, they opted to visit Gachagua, whom they described as their party leader and the next President of Kenya.
Gachagua, on his part, launched an onslaught at Ruto,claiming that State was a money laundering zone. Further, he claimed that Ruto was dishing out Ksh60 million in all his engagements with leaders from various regions in State House.
However, he did not provide proof of his accusations, but maintained that he was unbowed in his quest to make Ruto a one-term president in the 2027 General Elections.
Ruto had hosted grassroots leaders from Murang’a at State House, in a meeting which he noted was aimed towards discussing his administration’s development agenda in Murang’a.
In a statement released after the meeting, Ruto revealed his administration had allocated Ksh23 billion for the construction of 10,300 affordable houses, Ksh3.5 billion to upgrade roads, Ksh2.3 billion for the development of 23 modern markets, and Ksh3 billion for new student hostels in Murang’a.
Additionally, he informed of plans to connect more than 10,000 households to electricity by December through a Ksh850 million electrification project.
Further, Ruto announced plans to build two modern stadiums worth over Ksh1.5 billion and to connect Kangema, Mathioya, Kiharu, and Kandara to clean water under a Ksh2.4 billion water project.