Senators demand tough action after Lands CS Alice Wahome skips appearance
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna insisted that ministries such as Lands and Health should never miss appearances, adding that written submissions should be provided if a Cabinet Secretary cannot attend.
Senators have raised alarm over what they described as growing disregard for Parliament by Cabinet Secretaries, calling for firm measures to deal with those who snub summons.
The debate was triggered by Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome’s decision to skip a scheduled appearance before the House on Wednesday.
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Wahome wrote to Speaker Amason Kingi at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, saying she would be out of the country. The letter came just hours before she was to face questions on contested parcels of land in Nairobi, a move that angered lawmakers.
“Did she just realise last night that she will be travelling? This is serious contempt against Parliament,” Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said, dismissing the explanation as inadequate.
Cheruiyot pressed the Speaker to act on a Senate report that recommended penalties for absent Cabinet Secretaries, including monetary fines.
He said enforcing the proposal would ensure public officials take parliamentary summons seriously.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna insisted that ministries such as Lands and Health should never miss appearances, adding that written submissions should be provided if a Cabinet Secretary cannot attend.
“These are urgent matters, even if she wasn’t able to come, let her give us written responses so that we can see what the situation is for these parcels of land,” he said.
Speaker Kingi told senators that the CS might not have travelled at all but had avoided the session because her ministry had not filed its replies on time, as required by House rules.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua called for a bolder approach, urging the Speaker to allow a censure motion against at least one Cabinet Secretary.
He said this would serve as a warning, arguing that failure to act could embolden other public officers to ignore Parliament.
The Speaker responded that the Senate already has powers to censure absentee Cabinet Secretaries under Standing Orders 51(d), and it was the responsibility of lawmakers to decide how to apply them.
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