Members of the parliamentary joint committee were on Tuesday morning outraged after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i failed to appear before MPs probing the importation of contraband sugar worth billions of shillings.
According to the MPs, Matiang'i's failure to appear before the committee is a dishonour to the House as he had kept them waiting for long hours without passing on any information.
In a letter, the CS through Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho requested the committee members to reschedule the meeting citing his involvement in the ongoing East African Community (EAC) Head of States summit.
"We wish to respectfully point out that the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government is the host of the summit.
[caption caption="Interior Security CS Fred Matiang'i during a past parliamentary summon"]"
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"We, therefore, reiterate our earlier request of the Committee's rescheduling the meeting to a later date," reads the letter signed by Kibicho.
The CS in the letter also noted that he will be officiating together with President Kenyatta the 14th Summit of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, which Kenya will host Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) as well as a Special Envoy of President Salva Kiir.
Matiang'i was expected to appear before the MPs to explain how the contaminated sugar was nabbed and tested.
The committee, who accused Matiang'i of treating the House with contempt, also asserted that the CS needs to know that the house has an authority and he ought to respect it.
Led by Kieni MP Kanini Kega, who is the Chairman of the Trade Committee, the MPs ordered the Interior boss to appear before them on Thursday at 10 am.
The committee had on Monday summoned Matiang'i alongside his Cabinet colleagues Mwangi Kiunjuri (Agriculture), Adan Mohammed (Industrialization), and Henry Rotich (Treasury), however, he did not show up.
[caption caption="Treasury CS Henry Rotich addressing the parliamentary joint committee"]
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