Stop rampant bribery at political rallies

The claims that people were paid hefty bribes to attend rallies during President William Ruto’s just-ended tour of the Mt Kenya region are hardly surprising. Governors, senators, MPs and MCAs and national government officials are said to have mobilised the people to come out in large numbers to welcome the President.

It has been a rich harvest time, especially for boda boda riders, who pocketed thousands of shillings each. But the beneficiaries also included traders and traditional dancers, who were kitted in new uniforms. The President’s five-day tour of the vote-rich region had to be done in style to confirm that he is still the “king of the mountain” despite his falling-out with his former deputy, Mr Rigathi Gachagua, who hails from the region.

President Ruto visited the region despite growing hostility towards his administration in his direct charm offensive following Mr Gachagua’s impeachment last year.

Money has been flowing freely, but State House denies that the attendance at the rallies was paid for. It is disappointing that the motivation for attending the rallies was not to listen to what the top leaders are planning for them.

Indeed, bribery is rampant throughout the country. MPs and other elected leaders cannot easily visit even their own constituencies without coughing up cash, with crowds turning up to demand bribes.

After an official function, long queues quickly form and the aides of the MPs, senators or governors are forced to dish out Sh50, Sh100, or Sh1,000 notes. To make matters worse, this is more often than not public money being diverted to enable the handouts.

President Ruto spoke about development projects, job creation, coffee and tea sector reforms, and infrastructure development, but the people were only too happy to get the money.

This monetisation of politics is a major national challenge that cannot be solved by individuals. It requires a comprehensive approach to curb the wastage of public funds.