Former nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has hit out at President William Ruto following his revelation that Members of Parliament are extorting bribes from state officers through their parliamentary committees.

Orwoba doubted the genuineness of the public outburst, citing the President’s close association with and influence over the lawmakers.

Speaking on Spice FM on Thursday, August 14, she accused the government of looking the other way on alleged cases of sexual harassment involving parliamentarians, asserting that while corruption was openly addressed, sexual misconduct remains unresolved.

“Why don’t you call your members or even arrest them?” she questioned.

“When I spoke about corruption in Parliament, I was suspended. The president is now echoing what I said. It is just a matter of time before he [Ruto] confirms that it is his administration that has the highest number of sexual harassment cases,” she added.

According to Orwoba, female politicians are increasingly under siege owing to deliberate suppression from the political divide, warning that it risks relegating them from the front row seats in the country’s leadership.

“The thing I have seen is this administration likes to reduce us (women) back to the kitchen. The photo that they like to show of women is us cooking; there you can prosper,” she said, referencing the now viral video of Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga helping Ruto fry fish.

As parties prepare for the November by-elections, Orwoba also cautioned the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) against voter bribery in Kisii, saying that it contravenes the party’s policy..

“We don’t have votes in Kisii, don’t dish out handouts,” she stated.

“There’s a meeting in the State House tomorrow. 5,000 plus people are being shipped from Kisii. Word on the ground with the mobilizers is that we are giving 100,000 to each person,” she claimed.