When Suna East MP and National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed stood before a joint UDA-ODM political rally in Kakamega and casually declared, “Kuna kitu ilitembea Bunge” (Something moved around in Parliament) during the October 2024 impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, he did far more than crack a political joke.He effectively weaponized a confession that strikes at the heart of Kenya’s constitutional democracy.
For months, the state maintained that the ouster of Rigathi Gachagua was a purely constitutional exercise driven by parliamentary oversight and public interest. However, Junet’s admission—specifically naming Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot as the alleged “accounting officer” distributing the funds—has turned a historic impeachment into a scandal over legislative integrity.”
Accounting officer alikuwa Aaron Cheruiyot… Unajua Waziri, wakati tulikuwa tunafukuza Rigathi Gachagua kazi, kuna kitu ilitembea hapo… wacha niseme ukweli.”(The accounting officer was Aaron Cheruiyot… You know CS, when we were firing Rigathi Gachagua, something moved around there in Parliament… let me tell the truth.)— Junet Mohamed, National Assembly Minority Leader1. From Political Banter to Legal Nightmare: Why the Confession Matters
While politicians frequently trade barbs at weekend rallies, Junet Mohamed is not an ordinary backbencher. As the Minority Leader in the National Assembly and a key architect of the broad-based political arrangement between the government and ODM, his words carry immense legal and political weight.Under Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya (National Values and Principles of Governance) and the Leadership and Integrity Act (Chapter 182), exchanging financial favors for legislative votes constitutes serious public office misconduct and a criminal offense under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act. [ The Legal & Political Fallout Chain ]
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┌─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┐
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Criminal Liability Constitutional Question Public Trust Crisis
• EACC & DCI faced with • Undermines judicial • Fuels public cynicism
explicit public rulings upholding toward Parliament &
confession of bribery. impeachment fairness. executive influence.
2. Naming Aaron Cheruiyot: The Broad-Based Coalition Collateral DamageBy explicitly accusing Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot of serving as the custodian for impeachment funds, Junet crossed a line from opposition rhetoric into direct conflict within the coalition.The timing of this revelation is particularly sensitive.
The UDA and ODM political machinery has been working to present a unified front across regional political tours. Junet’s public admission exposes uncomfortable realities about how cross-party consensus was achieved during critical legislative votes.StakeholderPre-Confession NarrativePost-Confession RealityNational Assembly & SenateVoted overwhelmingly based on constitutional grounds and evidence.Confronted with accusations of financial inducement and vote buying.
Aaron Cheruiyot (Senate Majority Leader)Spearheaded constitutional debate and parliamentary procedure.Named by Minority Leader as the alleged cash custodian.Rigathi Gachagua (Former DP)Impeachment upheld despite claims of state-sponsored bribery.Publicly vindicated by a senior ranking opposition leader.
3. Re-opening the High Court Ruling: A New Constitutional Angle?
The legal implications of Junet’s confession extend directly into Kenya’s judicial system.In previous court challenges brought by Rigathi Gachagua, three-judge benches upheld the impeachment, ruling that Parliament had acted within its constitutional mandate. However, legal scholars point out that if evidence proves legislators accepted monetary bribes to vote Yes, the entire legislative proceeding could be argued as compromised by fraud and corruption.Key Questions Facing the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC):
Will EACC Summon Junet Mohamed? As a self-confessed participant/witness to legislative bribery, civil society groups are demanding that EACC issue an immediate summons for Junet to record a formal statement.Subpoenaing Financial Records: Will investigative agencies probe bank records, mobile money transactions, and parliamentary attendance rosters around the October 2024 impeachment dates?Protection of Parliamentary Immunity: Does parliamentary privilege cover admissions of criminal bribery made at public political rallies outside the floor of the House?
4. Public Cynicism and the “Monetized Democracy” ProblemBeyond the legal technicalities, Junet’s lighthearted demeanor when discussing MPs spending impeachment money in Nairobi highlights a deeper issue in Kenyan politics: the normalization of political monetization.By poking fun at colleagues for “not building proper houses” with their impeachment proceeds, the speech laid bare the transactional nature of high-stakes parliamentary decisions. For citizens struggling under a high cost of living, taxation, and public service cutbacks, the revelation that constitutional votes were monetized reinforces growing voter apathy ahead of 2027.
ConclusionJunet Mohamed’s confession has transformed the political narrative surrounding Rigathi Gachagua’s ouster from a constitutional trial into a high-stakes bribery controversy. As calls grow for the EACC and investigative authorities to intervene, Kenya’s political establishment faces a critical test: address the allegations of parliamentary corruption directly or risk further eroding public trust in democratic institutions.
