Ruto Put On The Spot Over Saving William Oduol From Impeachment

Osotsi was challenged to disclose the name of the Kenya Kwanza senator who allegedly leaked the info but declined owing to sensitivity issues. Azimio senators had poked holes in President Ruto's influence in the weighty matter, stating that the motion would have been successful had State House not been brought into the picture.

“This government does not stand for the fight against corruption. If the State House had not interfered, William Oduol would have been impeached by the Senate.

“William Oduol was found culpable of two offences, but Kenya Kwanza Senators decided to save him from early on when the issue came to the floor of the House regardless of the committee’s report,” Makueni senator Dan Maanzo weighed in.

Responding to Osotsi and Maanzo's unproven claims, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka revealed that such phone calls were commonplace as party leaders often lobby their allies in support of specific initiatives.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei, while siding with Onyonka, criticised Azimio for what she believed was the manufacture of wild allegations without proof, arguing that the Head of State was too preoccupied with state duties to focus on petty squabbles between Oduol and Orengo.

"I am alarmed at the allegations made by Senator Osotsi. It is reckless to say that there were calls from State House. I am just thinking about the President's schedules from the Safari Rally to Paris, Thika, and Kajiado. He is packed, and everybody knows that.

"To even think that he will make a phone call over an impeachment of a deputy governor is stretching the imagination a little too far," she added.

Following the decision to nullify Oduol's impeachment, Kenya Kwanza senators led by Samson Cherargei of Nandi clarified that they opted to vote to save Oduol owing to his status as a whistleblower who exposed graft in his county despite being accused of corruption.

"He was the whistleblower who needed protection. And just like the Finance Bill 2023, we crashed and exonerated the Azimio la Umoja. That is the same knife we used to destroy Azimio la Umoja.

"We will not allow Azimio to sabotage the agenda of the government on the floor of the House. We shall not entertain politics on the floor of the House," he said.