I RECEIVED MY IRINGO BRIBE, MP CONFESSES

In sensational secret recordings made by Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba, a Member of Parliament is heard confessing that he took part of the bribe money allegedly offered by Defence Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo to some members of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
In recordings Namwamba made secretly, being referred to as ‘Ababu leaks’ and presented yesterday to the Powers and Privileges Committee chaired by Kuresoi North MP Moses Cheboi, Cheboi, Samuel Arama (Nakuru Town West) confesses to  having received Sh200,000 as his cut from Iringo (then Internal Security PS).
Arama, who was taped by Namwamba as he spoke to Opposition leader Raila Odinga, is heard saying his share of the loot was received through Nyatike MP Edick Anyang’a (Nyatike).
“I got Sh200,000 from the Sh1.5 million that Iringo released to be shared among PAC members,” Arama is heard saying in the recording that was played out to the Privileges committee yesterday.
The MP is also heard saying there was no ODM politician fighting Namwamba, but mentioned Majority Leader Aden Duale as using Anyanga to fight Namwamba. “Your Excellency (Raila), there is nobody fighting Namwamba.
If anything, it is Anyanga fighting him.” Apart from Duale and Iringo, Namwamba also yesterday mentioned Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia as among people behind his woes at the PAC.
The embattled PAC chair presented the audio recording to the committee in a flash disk in a bid to distance himself from corruption allegations levelled against him by PAC members.
On receiving the recording, Cheboi said they would listen to it in the MP’s presence to avoid allegations of distortion.  The recording also implicates PAC vice-chair Cecily Mbarire (Runyenjes) as among the alleged beneficiaries of the Sh1.5 million bribe.
Duale is said to have been uncomfortable with Namwamba as the powerful committee chair.  Namwamba was appearing before the committee for the second time, with yesterday’s session held in public.
The committee heard a recording that allegedly implicates Iringo in bribing four PAC members in exchange for deleting any adverse mentions of his name in an audit report on how Sh2.9 billion was spent during the retired President Kibaki’s transition.
“I have it on record that Iringo met Anyanga, James Bett, Abbas Ahmed and Samuel Arama. At least Sh1.5 million is confirmed to have been collected in cash from Iringo by Anyang’a who shared it with the members named here, together with Kareke Mbiuki (Maara) and Mbarire.
I was to be kept strictly in the dark because I am not flexible,” Namwamba wrote in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi which was also tabled before the committee yesterday.
In the recording which has voices of four politicians, Arama, Junet Mohammed (Migori East), Namwamba and Raila, the Budalang’i MP  is heard saying Duale had been secretly paying PAC members to oust him from the chairmanship.
“Duale told me to sign petition to pass a vote of no confidence against Namwamba. Huyo mtu (Ababu) lazima atoke because he is not flexible,” Arama is heard saying.
In the 15-minute recording, Arama is heard saying Anyang’a did not share the loot with his colleagues in the committee.  Namwamba who spoke last in the recording is heard complaining to Raila how he was left alone to defend himself.