The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare is considering taking disciplinary action against Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi for repeatedly ignoring its official summons.
The Senators were angered when Mbadi failed to show up for a scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 29, and instead sent Public Investments Principal Secretary Cyrell Wagunda Odede to represent him — a move that did not sit well with the lawmakers.
In response, the committee dismissed the PS and firmly ordered CS Mbadi to personally attend the next sitting, now scheduled for Monday, August 4. The Senators warned that any further absence would be treated with utmost seriousness and consequences would follow.
CS Mbadi was supposed to attend the session to address several long-standing concerns, including the delay in pension payments for retired Kenya Railways workers, unresolved issues affecting KEMRI employees, and the promised one-time Ksh 200,000 honorarium for former councillors.
His failure to show up has deeply frustrated the committee members.
West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, who chairs the committee, openly voiced his disappointment. He noted that continued delays in resolving these matters reflect poorly on the Senate’s performance, especially since the decisions involved require Cabinet-level approvals.
“The more this drags on, the more we appear ineffective in the eyes of the public,” he said.
Nominated Senator Crystal Asige also criticized Mbadi’s no-show, calling it “both disappointing and unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Kitui Senator Enock Wambua reminded the House that Mbadi, being a former MP himself, should fully understand the importance of honoring parliamentary invitations. “It’s not a favour to appear before Parliament — he knows this better than most,” Wambua added.
This isn’t the first time CS Mbadi has clashed with Parliament over skipped meetings. Back in March, he also failed to appear before the Senate Finance and Budget Committee during a critical session on the 2025/26 Budget Policy Statement.
At that time, Mandera Senator Ali Roba, who chairs the Finance Committee, expressed concern that Mbadi hadn’t carried the parliamentary accountability spirit into his new executive role.
Roba remarked, “We’ve had a smooth working relationship with other ministries, but the Treasury remains silent — and it was the final entity we were supposed to engage.”
The Senators are now demanding accountability, insisting that their oversight role must be respected and that CS Mbadi should demonstrate responsibility by attending future sittings without fail.
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