Senate Speaker Amason Kingi on Wednesday, May 7, urged Senators to file a censure motion against Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for skipping Senate summons.
While addressing the House, Kingi acknowledged the lamentations of the Senators after Mbadi communicated he would not be able to attend his scheduled session with the Upper House, albeit on a short notice.
Kingi encouraged the lawmakers to take significant action against Mbadi and other CSs notorious for skipping the sessions without proper communication beforehand. As per the Speaker, this would help restore the House's respect and discourage contemptuous behaviour from the senior government officials.
“I have heard your frustrations, concerns and disappointments. Indeed, Honourable Senators, this letter (Mbadi’s apology) is contemptuous and does not even indicate the reason why the CS is not present,” Kingi stated.
“Honourable Senators, you have a weapon to handle such kinds of CSs. If you read Standing Order 51(D) it clearly states that if a CS fails to appear for no good reason, then a censure motion can ensue,” he further asserted.
Kingi’s clarion call came after a section of Senators, such as Nairobi’s Edwin Sifuna, Bungoma’s Boni Khalwale, Kitui’s Enoch Wambua, Bungoma’s Wafula Wakoli, and Isiolo’s Fatuma Dullo, expressed their frustrations at Mbadi missing the session.
For his part, Sifuna questioned why the CS could make time to appear in a late-night show with a national broadcaster but could not make time to appear before the Senate, noting it as the highest level of contempt for the Senate.
Wambua questioned the timing of Mbadi’s apology, citing that his past experience as a former lawmaker should have guided him in his conduct before the Senate.
“If CS John Mbadi, a former Member of Parliament, can afford to write to you this morning at 9am to say that he is not presenting himself at the opening of this House is the height of contempt for this House,” he charged.
Mbadi’s incident, however, is not the first time a CS has skipped summons by the Senate. Last year, Tourism CS Rebecca Miano and her Environment counterpart, Deborah Barasa, were at the receiving end of calls for censure motions over skipping scheduled appearances before the Senate.
Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi ignited a series of reactions from members of the Senate after revealing he received letters from Barasa during her time as Health CS and CS Miano requesting to reschedule their appearances.
Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute was among those leading calls for action against the two Cabinet Secretaries, accusing them of blatant neglect of their duties.
His sentiments were echoed by his counterpart, Bomet Senator Wakili Hillary Kiprotich Sigei, who scathingly accused CSs Miano and Barasa of having little to no regard for the House.
