Senators call for censure motion against two Cabinet Secretaries who skipped Senate session

Several senators are calling for disciplinary action against Health Cabinet Secretary Dr Deborah Barasa and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano after they failed to appear at a scheduled Senate session on Wednesday.

The senators expressed frustration at the two officials' absence, describing it as a failure to fulfil their obligations to the Senate and to the Kenyan people.

The senators had intended to address pressing issues with the Cabinet Secretaries regarding healthcare services and tourism, topics of significant concern to their constituents.

Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi informed the house that the Health and Tourism Cabinet Secretaries had each sent letters requesting to reschedule their appearances.

Murungi shared that CS Barasa had cited health concerns as her reason for absence, while Miano had requested an excuse the previous day, only to be denied by the Senate Business Committee.

"This morning we expected two CSs. "I've been informed that a letter came from the Health CS requesting postponement due to illness. Similarly, a request from the Tourism CS was rejected by the committee, but she did not appear before the House today," he said.

Senators across the political spectrum expressed strong disapproval of the two Cabinet Secretaries' failure to appear, with Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute leading the call for a formal censure.

"The only issue that should prevent them from coming to this House is if they are in a Cabinet meeting," Chute asserted, questioning the level of priority the Cabinet Secretaries placed on Senate proceedings.

"This trend of ignoring this House must stop. I want to ask this House to institute a censure motion against these two CSs," he added.

Unanswered questions

The absence of the Cabinet Secretaries not only disrupted the morning session, which had been solely dedicated to their appearance but also left unanswered questions on key national issues.

Among these were pressing concerns about the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the recent suspension of SHA's acting CEO, Elijah Wachira, as well as issues in healthcare, wildlife, and tourism.

Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute asks Senate to censure Health and Tourism CSs after skipping Wednesday's Plenary session

Mohamed Chute: If we allow this trend (CSs skipping Senate Plenary) to continue, we will be failing Kenyans. We should censure these two Cabinet Secretaries. pic.twitter.com/t3zxzrqFD7

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) November 13, 2024

Senator Enoch Wambua of Kitui questioned the seriousness with which the government regarded the Senate sessions, suggesting a conversation with the President regarding the relevance of such hearings.

"The purpose of these sessions is exclusively to engage with Cabinet Secretaries on behalf of our constituents," Wambua said.

"If they cannot appear, perhaps we should even disband these Wednesday morning sittings."

Senator Esther Okenyuri echoed this frustration, pointing out that critical issues, including the recent polio vaccine rollout and tuberculosis treatment, required direct responses from the Health CS.

"Cabinet Secretaries have a chance to add voice to what the government is doing to serve Kenyans," she said, expressing her disappointment at the casual dismissal of Senate proceedings.

"Critical issues we anticipated to address this morning are now ignored," Okenyuri continued, adding that Cabinet Secretaries should lead by example, especially when it comes to accountability.

Tourism CS Rebecca Miano's absence was another major point of contention, as the Senate Business Committee had specifically directed her to attend.

House disrespect

Bomet Senator Hillary Kiprotich Sigei expressed his discontent, calling the reasons provided for her absence "flimsy" and an "utter disrespect of the House."

According to Sigei, the Cabinet Secretaries receive adequate notice and details of the questions they are expected to address.

"They are supposed to come prepared," Sigei asserted, "yet we have no representatives from these ministries today."

Senator Daniel Maanzo from Makueni highlighted several key health issues awaiting attention, including healthcare services for victims of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing, who are still awaiting government aid.

He argued that if Cabinet Secretaries cannot fulfil their duties, they should consider stepping down.

"If we allow all Cabinet Secretaries to simply skip sessions, the country will suffer. Cabinet Secretaries are the face of the government. They must take Parliament seriously, or they should resign," Maanzo added.

Senator Agnes Kavindu of Machakos spoke on the importance of the Senate's Wednesday morning session, which is reserved solely for Cabinet Secretaries to answer questions.

"We have cancelled all other business for this House to prioritise questioning time," she stated, pointing out that members were losing valuable time for constituency work to attend the session.

Kavindu mentioned her readiness to address challenges faced by her constituents who are struggling with high medical bills and inadequate healthcare services.

In defense of the Health CS's absence due to illness, Senator Beatrice Ogolla stated that while unfortunate, the timing of illness is beyond one's control.

"People don't decide when they fall sick," Ogolla noted.

However, she also mentioned that the Health Ministry should have sent a representative, as the questions prepared were of national importance.

The senators' frustrations were compounded by an earlier incident in October when Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi also failed to appear before the Senate.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna had then criticised what he saw as a trend of ministers disregarding Senate obligations.