The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia has claimed that politicians receive Ksh100,000 each time they attend Parliamentary Group (PG) meetings held at State House.
Kaguchia told Citizen TV on Monday that many lawmakers are drawn to these meetings more for the financial perks than for policy discussions, accusing the Executive of using token payments to influence political leadership.
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“Political leadership has been captured by the Executive, and most leaders now focus on how much money they can get personally. Every meeting at State House comes with benefits,” he said. “For every PG meeting, you are paid Ksh100,000. The first time I refused the money, but eventually I stopped attending.”
He added that the focus of many political leaders is forming alliances ahead of the 2027 elections, often at the expense of addressing citizens’ urgent service delivery needs.
Since the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) became the ruling party after the 2022 elections, it has held multiple PG meetings, including on April 11, May 23, and November 7, 2023. In February 2024, a joint retreat in Naivasha brought together President William Ruto’s cabinet and parliamentary members.
Another meeting took place on June 18, 2024, following anti-government protests, resulting in key amendments to the contested Finance Bill 2024.
In August 2025, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) joined UDA for a PG meeting at State House to review progress on the 10-point Agenda and the NADCO report recommendations, signed in March 2025 by President Ruto and ODM founder the late Raila Odinga.
The meeting also introduced a bipartisan implementation committee to oversee the agenda.
President Ruto has announced plans for another joint UDA-ODM PG meeting to follow up on the August session.
According to National Assembly records, UDA holds the majority in the 13th Parliament with 29 Senators and 145 MPs as of May 22, 2023, while ODM has 19 Senators and 86 MPs. These figures include nominated members.
