Senators were on Tuesday, September 21, agitated after learning that Cabinet Secretaries John Munyes (Petroleum and Mining) and Charles Keter (Energy) had ignored a summons to appear before them.
Bomet Senator Christopher Langat led senators in castigating Munyes whom they accused of ignoring calls to appear before the Energy Committee.
According to Langat, the CS has ignored summons by the committee in the past and even when he presented himself, he did not pay attention.
The Senator claimed that the Petroleum Ministry boss once ignored summons by the Senate and when he was asked why he never showed up although the lawmakers were waiting for him - he told them he had attended a burial in his county.
The senator further told the house that Munyes was notorious for ignoring summons as he went ahead to describe him as a lazy public servant.
"As a member of the Energy Committee let me inform other Senators who are not members of that Committee that CS Munyes is notorious when it comes to appearing before this House and answer questions which are very sensitive," the Bomet lawmaker stated.
"There's a time we requested him to appear before the committee three times and he failed. When he appeared he was in a hurry and mentioned that he had been attending several funerals in Turkana," he added.
Keter and Munyes snubbed the Senate hearing committee session that sort to interrogate the pair on the recent increase in fuel prices and senators did not hold back his words for Munyes who was absent.
"He's a man of excuses and I tend to think h doesn't take issues concerning Wananchi seriously. They must pay even double so that they take their work seriously."
"He appears here lazily... I doubt he would have concentrated. He is notorious" Langat stated.
Senators Mutula Kilonzo (Makueni) Ledama Ole Kina (Narok), Petronila Were (nominated Senator) and James Orengo (Siaya) castigated the CSs and called for stiff penalties to be instituted against them.
Orengo told the committee that Kenyans were angry with Parliament over the fuel prices and noted that the country was blaming lawmakers over the punitive fuel costs that were released by EPRA.
Ledama called on Parliament to institute a motion and impeach Keter.
The Energy CS, in response to the summons last week, stated that the hike in fuel prices did not fall under his Ministry and passed the bulk of responsibility to his Petroleum colleague.
Munyes requested to meet the senate committee on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
