This archive report was first published on 16 October 2019.
Kenyan MPs are considering removing Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i from office after he failed to honour parliamentary invitations to respond to questions raised by legislators.
On Tuesday, Dr Matiang'i was scheduled to appear before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and National Security to answer 14 questions that have piled up over a period due to his non-appearance before the committee.
However, his attempts to have the questions responded to by his Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Patrick Ole Ntutu failed as he was turned away by the committee vice chairperson Mr John Waluke (Sirisia), who chaired the session yesterday.
Mr Waluke ordered Dr Matiang'i to appear physically on Tuesday next week, stating, "Go and tell the CS that we want him here physically on Tuesday next week. We know that he is a very slippery CS but he has no otherwise but to appear in person,"
According to National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, all committee chairpersons and their deputies are directed to ensure that witness appearance is enforced without fail and take the necessary action against those who fail to appear.
Mr Muturi's directive comes after the committee chairpersons complained that they are facing difficulties having questions by members responded to as well as concluding important matters like petitions among others, as the CSs have made themselves "deliberately" unavailable.
Mr Muturi also warned that if the CASs cannot commit their ministries, they should be thrown away, as "you can't listen to someone who cannot commit,"
Mr Ntutu had claimed that Dr Matiang'i's docket is one of the busiest, but the committee members were not convinced by this response.
Mr Ntutu further told the committee that the executive was yet to receive communication from parliament directing all CASs not to appear before parliamentary committees.
However, Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor warned that Dr Matiang'i runs the risk of being punished for his own actions, stating, "This CS is taking this committee for granted. We have already lost lives on questions that needed urgent responses from him,"
Published on October 16, 2019, at 09:46:39.
