The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has threatened to take action against Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for continuously snubbing its summons.
Subsequently, the Senators sent away the Public Investments Principal Secretary Cyrell Wagunda Odede, whom the CS had sent to represent him in the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 29.
The committee, therefore, summoned the CS to appear in the next meeting scheduled for Monday, August 4, warning that failure to appear would "not be tolerated."
Mbadi had been invited to discuss the long-pending issues of unpaid pensions to retired Kenya Railways staff, KEMRI employees, and a one-off Ksh 200,000 honorarium for former councillors, among others.
The committee chair, West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, expressed their disappointment that the CS skipped yet another critical session.
“We now understand that this will continue to drag because decisions are made at the Cabinet level. The longer it delays, the more we’re seen as non-performers,” said Sen. Murgor.
Nominated Senator Crystal Asige termed the CS’s absence “disappointing and unacceptable."
Kitui Senator Enock Wambua cited the CS's former role as Member of Parliament, saying, “Appearing before Parliament is not a favour. The CS understands this better than most.”
This is not the first time the CS has landed in trouble with a Senate or a National Assembly committee for skipping a summons.
In March, the Senate Committee on Finance and Budget hit out at him for skipping a crucial meeting to consider the 2025/26 Budget Policy Statement.
The committee chair, Mandera Senator Ali Roba, expressed concerns that the former lawmaker had not carried forward the mentality of the National Assembly into the running of the Ministry.
“We have had a good working relationship with the Ministry. We have managed to execute them without any hitches from the Ministry," Senator Roba stated. "Unfortunately, we have not received a response from the National Treasury, which was supposed to be the last entity we engaged with."
