Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba was compelled to issue an apology twice in Parliament after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula called him out for what appeared to be cheeky responses.
Wetangula, on Wednesday, ordered Namwamba to apologise for a letter he wrote to Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah concerning issues raised over the management of the ministry.
In his initial apology, Namwamba confirmed his willingness to let Parliament carry out oversight of his responsibilities. However, Wetangula expressed that the CS was attaching conditions to the apology and emphasized the need for a direct and concise answer.
"Don't give a conditional apology. Just cut the long story short. An apology should be unequivocal and clear. Rescind the content of the letter, apologise so that we can do business in the house," Wetangula directed.
"Mr Speaker with a lot of respect let me withdraw that correspondence and unreservedly tender an apology to the house," Namwamba apologised again.
The CS's predicament began after Ichung'wah characterised the letter addressed to his office as condescending and with the potential to undermine the role of the legislature in overseeing the Executive.
In the letter, Namwamba expressed that the accusations levelled at his governance were based on hearsay, adding that he was being judged without a proper hearing.
"I will hold you to account and oversee you."As much I am in Kenya Kwanza, that must not be construed that I will not hold the government to account," Ichung'wah warned.
National Assembly Leader of Minority Opiyo Wandayi also criticised the CS for failing to copy the letter to his office. Consequently, Wetangula cautioned CSs against writing letters questioning their appearance and summons before the house.
Namwamba was in Parliament to respond to questions about the mistreatment of the team that attended the Special Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, in June 2023.
Ababu was accused of neglecting the team and mismanaging their travel arrangements. The CS refuted the claims, noting that senior officials in his ministry saw the team off to Germany.
He also watered down allegations fronted by Gladys Shollei, National Assembly Deputy Speaker, who lamented that sportsmen and women in Kenya wear fake Adidas kits.
However, Shollei rose with a supplementary question and countered Namwamba's response. She presented her evidence comprising of photos taken of athletes competing in different sports while wearing Adidas kits.
The photos were drawn from several platforms, among them Namwamba's social media pages. Shollei, who also serves as Uasin Gishu woman representative, argued that the photos incriminated the CS, who, in an earlier communication, claimed that the Ministry contracted Nike rather than Adidas.
She thus asked the Speaker to compel him to write a letter to both Nike and Adidas to confirm the authenticity of the jerseys and the legality of the contract. Namwamba obliged and stated that he would proceed as advised and forward the responses of the multinational sports entities to Kimani Ichungw'ah's office.
