• According to the 2010 Constitution, the term of each House of Parliament expires on the date of the next general election. As of August 2025, only 23 months remain before the current term expires.

On August 18, 2025, President William Ruto publicly accused Members of Parliament (MPs) and Senators of soliciting multimillion-shilling bribes to influence legislation and committee outcomes.

President Ruto’s accusations painted a damning and deeply corrosive picture of MPs one that cast the entire institution under a cloud of greed, extortion, and compromised integrity.

It is against this backdrop of public outrage and institutional crisis that the two days National Assembly Leadership Retreat in Mombasa unfolds.

Speaking during the first day of the retreat on August 21, 2025, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang’ula, urged MPs to lead from the front by upholding integrity in their various roles.

This, he said, is particularly crucial in executing responsibilities as Chairpersons of Committees.

“Without integrity, a man is nothing. Without integrity, leaders lose credibility among the people they lead. Without integrity, even best executed roles are without impact. Without integrity, leadership fails. The question of integrity is therefore not a choice of what is convenient, but a choice of what is right,” he said.

According to the 2010 Constitution, the term of each House of Parliament expires on the date of the next general election. As of August 2025, only 23 months remain before the current term expires.

Wetang’ula has used the leadership retreat to urge MPs to reinvigorate their efforts, build momentum, and ensure that the House fulfills its constitutional mandate effectively before the clock runs out.

“Whereas as a House we have done tremendously well in the last three years in executing our constitutional roles, we must now focus on growing the momentum as we move towards the end of this Session.”

As leaders and Members of this honourable House, Wetang’ula emphasized the binding responsibilities and guiding principles of leadership and integrity enshrined in Article 73 of the Constitution.

These, he said, are not idle principles—they are alive, andmust guide MPs not just as leaders but also as servants of the people of Kenya.

“In order to deliver on the mandate given by the people, we must be ready to ask the hard questions and introspect on where we have failed and where we can do better. We must also have candid conversations on the challenges that lie ahead and discuss how best we can navigate them to ensure service delivery to the people,” he said.

Wetang’ula has reaffirmed his role and declared his unwavering commitment to preserving the dignity of the National Assembly. He emphasized that, above all duties tied to the Speakership, he owes the greatest responsibility to Parliament and to the people of Kenya.