Public Investments Committee threatens to sue Kimunya

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

MPs will push for the prosecution of former cabinet minister Amos Kimunya if he fails to appear before the Public Investments Committee (PIC) for a third time.

Kimunya failed to appear before the Aden Keynan-led committee which is investigating the controversial standard gauge railway tender yesterday infuriating the MPs who have now given him a final warning to appear or face the law.

Keynan ordered National Assembly Clerk Justin Bundi to put an advertisement in the dailies this morning asking the former Kipipiri MP to comply with the summons he issued last week, after he wrote to the committee declining to appear on grounds that he is not a State officer and thus will not be helpful to the committee.

“Mr Kimunya must attend and there is no excuse to that. I am ordering the clerk to send another summons to him through the sergeant-at-arms, send another copy on the email he used last week and place an advert in the papers communicating the same summons,” Keynan said.

Should he fail to show up, the committee said it will invoke provisions of the Constitution and standing orders, which provide for criminal charges against anyone defying a lawful summons. MPs insist the committee has powers equivalent to those of the High Court.

“Our letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will be final. However, given now we have not reached there, let’s give Hon Kimunya one more chance and if he doesn’t show up, then this summons will be part of our evidence to the DPP,” he told committee members who wanted a decision made immediately.

Aldai MP Cornelius Serem had demanded that the chair announce what action he would take against the ex-minister. Serem also demanded that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga also appear  before the committee as he chaired one of the sessions that discussed the tendering process but Keynan said that decision will be made later at a  closed door meeting of the PIC.

In a letter to Senior Deputy Clerk Michael Sialai last week, Kimunya said he had nothing new to inform the committee “because other relevant government officers with access to the information required had appeared before the committee.”