Siaya Senator James Orengo was incensed after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i on Monday, August 17, failed to show up after following his summon by the Senate over the arrests of three Senators.
Matiang'i was summoned to explain the arrests of Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala his Bomet counterpart Christopher Langat and Steve Lelegwe (Samburu).
Orengo reiterated the severity of a Senate summon explaining that it needed to be taken even more seriously than a High Court summon.
"The first is to not just invite, is to summon and I can tell you, Mr Speaker, when Parliament summons, it does not matter whether you are on leave or on honeymoon or in a cabinet meeting.
"The summon of Parliament, in my view, supersedes the summon of the High Court because we make the law," he asserted.
Orengo narrated how during the KANY regime, a speaker put a Minister waiting for a Committee for two hours using an order list.
The Siaya Senator urged Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka to deal with the contempt by Matiang'i after failing to show up in Parliament.
Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji revealed that an officer from the office of the Interior Ministry sent a text message stating that Matiang'i was on leave as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr was also angered by Matiang'i's decision to ignore the summon by the Senate.
"We will not live on our knees. If you direct that we proceed there will be chaos. We cannot proceed when senators are being taken across the country on the highway.
"This is not a laughing matter. We must speak as a Senate. Enforce your direction, my speaker. You are not an inferior person to the CS," he urged.
CS Matiang'i had earlier in the day been joined by his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru for the launch of a boda boda Information Management System as part of the wide-reaching reforms to organise the sector.
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