MP Wamboka Suspended as PIC Chair Amid Explosive Bribery Allegations
Bumula Member of Parliament Jack Wamboka has been suspended from chairing the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee (PIC) on Governance and Education following serious allegations that he solicited bribes from witnesses appearing before the committee.
The dramatic decision was announced in Parliament on Wednesday, April 22, by Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei, who said the move was necessary to preserve public confidence in the integrity of parliamentary oversight processes.
“In order to safeguard public trust in the work of the Public Investments Committee on governance and education during the pendency of the inquiry, I am further persuaded to suspend the Honourable Jack Wanami Wamboka from chairing the committee during the period,” Shollei declared.
The suspension follows a series of complaints lodged by witnesses who appeared before the committee, alleging harassment and intimidation by the lawmaker. Some witnesses reportedly claimed that favourable consideration during proceedings was contingent upon the payment of bribes.
Concerns over the conduct of the committee were also raised by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), which formally petitioned Speaker Moses Wetang’ula. In its letter, the commission cited what it described as “open hostility, harassment, and demeaning treatment” of its officers during appearances before the committee, further alleging that bribery demands had been made.
As part of the interim measures, Shollei—speaking on behalf of the Speaker—directed Minority Leader Junet Mohammed to nominate an acting chairperson by noon on April 23. The directive comes amid complications surrounding the committee’s leadership, as Vice Chairperson Boyd Were is a newly sworn-in legislator and therefore deemed ineligible to assume the role due to lack of procedural experience.
The move has drawn support from several lawmakers, including Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, who described the decision as a “Solomonic” intervention aimed at balancing accountability with fairness. He further proposed that the matter be escalated to external investigative bodies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
However, Shollei ruled that the issue would instead be handled internally by Parliament’s Powers and Privileges Committee, emphasizing the need to uphold institutional processes while ensuring due process for the accused lawmaker.
“I think your decision to take it to our Powers and Privileges Committee is the best decision so that we deal with our own internal matters internally,” Ichung’wah remarked in support of the ruling.
The Deputy Speaker stressed that the suspension does not amount to a finding of guilt, but rather serves to allow investigations to proceed without interference while also guaranteeing Wamboka a fair hearing.
The Powers and Privileges Committee has been instructed to conclude its inquiry and table a report within 45 days.
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