Housing and Urban Planning Principal Secretary Charles Hinga and his Public Works counterpart Joel Loremoi were ejected from a Parliamentary Committee meeting after their line Cabinet Secretary failed to show up despite summons.
Hinga and Loremoi had appeared before Urban Planning and Public works committee on Thursday, March 2, to present their submissions on the 2023 Budget Policy Statement on behalf of their respective departments.
However, their presence was deemed not enough by the committee's members who demanded the Cabinet Secretary's in-person presence.
The members led by the Committee's Chairperson and Emurrua Dikir MP Johanna Ngeno protested the absence of the CS and consequently called for an adjournment to allow him time to appear.
"We will adjourn this meeting so that you contact the CS. We will not proceed unless he is present," Ngeno told the PS.
Upon the lapse of ten minutes, PS Hinga returned and informed the members that Lands Cabinet Secretary Zachary Njeru had just landed in Lamu for official business and, as such, would be unavailable for the meeting.
The MPs maintained that the presence of the CS was mandatory. To this end, the chairperson resolved to reschedule the meeting to Saturday, March 6 at 8 am.
"We have several issues to raise with the CS on these departments and his attendance at the meeting is vital," Ngeno ruled.
The committee expressed its displeasure at the CS's absentia despite having been copied on the formal invitation letter from the clerk's office.
The Thursday incident was not PS Hinga's first rough encounter at the hands of National Assembly committees, having been kicked out two weeks ago from another session.
The PS was on February 15 turned away from a session for giving unsatisfactory responses to a House Committee.
According to the committee, PS Hinga failed to avail vital documents before the committee hence limiting the purpose of oversight by the National Assembly organ.
