Mbadi under fire after failing to show up for maiden Senate date

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. [File, Standard]

Senators have criticised National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for failing to appear before them to answer questions.

They faulted him for sending a last-minute letter stating that he was attending a meeting at State House.

Mbadi, who was to make his maiden appearance before the Senate to answer several questions lined up by members, sent a letter to the Speaker explaining that he would not be available since he had been called to State House for an urgent meeting.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna accused Mbadi of learning the “bad manners of Kenya Kwanza Cabinet Secretaries”.

“I am very disappointed with Mbadi for failing to appear before the Senate. It is sad he is learning bad manners from Kenya Kwanza Cabinet Secretaries who do not honour parliamentary summons,” said Sifuna.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua said when ODM “donated” Mbadi to join the Cabinet, the party stated it had given some of its best members to President William Ruto so as to show others how the government is run and that it was disappointing that he was showing contempt to the Senate.

“We are dissatisfied with the letter sent by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi just as we are starting the business of the day that he is not going to be available to answer questions,” said Wambua.

But Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot told off Sifuna and Wambua for claiming Mbadi had learnt the bad manners from his Kenya Kwanza colleagues saying their utterances were in bad taste.

He said that the CS had given an explanation why he could not make it to the Senate as expected.

Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango said the Senate had set aside Wednesday morning for question time with no committee sittings being held.

Murango said it is unfair for Cabinet Secretaries to fail to appear before the House when they are required to answer questions.

Machakos Senator Kavindu Muthama said counties had not received funds for the last two months and they expected Mbadi to explain why the National Treasury had not dispatched funds.

Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi said the standing orders provide that CSs who fail to honour house appearances can be censured.

“I would like to caution my fellow Senators against making generalized accusations against Cabinet Secretaries not appearing before the Senate. In the last session, only one Cabinet Secretary failed to honour summons,” said Murungi.

Sifuna had intended to ask Mbadi What had occasioned the failure of the e-Citizen digital platform to process and reflect payments made to some institutions such as the National Health Insurance Fund.

The Nairobi Senator had also wanted Mbadi to explain where the convenience fee charged and all other payments that fail to reflect on e–Citizen platform end up since it was not clear to those who made them.

Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma, intended to ask Mbadi the allocation for development expenditure in the National Government budget for the Financial Year 2022/23, and indicate the percentage of the expenditure that was financed by Government’s ordinary revenue, loans and grants from development partners.