Treasury Cabinet Secretary, John Mbadi, risks paying a Sh500,000 fine for snubbing the Senate committee for the second time, prompting the lawmakers to issue summons compelling his attendance on August 20, 2025.
The Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has directed Mr Mbadi, Cooperative Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Opranya and Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga to attend the meeting without fail.
Mr Mbadi wrote to the committee chaired by West Pokot Senator Philip Murgor seeking postponement of the meeting that was to take place at 10 am on Monday, August 4, 20025.
He explained that President William Ruto had assigned him a function outside Nairobi and therefore he could not attend the meeting that was to resolve delays in the release of pension to employees who retired from the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), Kenya Cooperative Crinieres (KCC), and former councilors.
“This is the second time the Cabinet Secretary has skipped our meeting. We are hereby issuing summons for the CS to appear on August 20, 2025, at 10 am,” Mr Murgor ruled.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives, the Railways Corporation Managing Director and the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme chief executive are also summoned to that meeting.”
Mr Murgor was forced to adjourn a meeting with representatives of the new KCC staff retirement scheme, Kenya Railways retirees and Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) Managing Director Charles Macharia. Acting New KCC Managing Director Samuel Ichura was also present in the aborted meeting
Nominated Senator Beth Siengo demanded that the House invokes provisions of Standing Orders and Article 125 of the Constitution to summon Mr Mbadi.
“This matter is critical to our aged petitioners who spent their youth working for KRC and New KCC. I propose that we summon the Cabinet Secretary. Mr Mbadi has become elusive. The summons must indicate the punishment the CS must expect,” Ms Siengo said.
Nominated Senator Mary Senata backed the issuance of summonses to compel Mr Mbadi’s attendance, saying the committee is dealing with elderly petitioners.
She said the only way the committee will secure Mr Mbadi’s attendance is through issuance of summons.
The House rules require that a committee can summon a Cabinet Secretary after issuing at least 14 days’ notice to appear.
Mr Mbadi last week skipped a meeting that was expected to discuss a petition filed by Taita Taveta Senator Jonnes Mwaruma on the delayed payment of pension to retired employees of the Kenya Railways Corporation.
Mr Mbadi was also required to provide a status report on the payment of a one-off honorarium of Sh200,000 each to former councilors.
On October 31, 2022, the committee wrote a letter to the National Treasury and Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, seeking a response on the status of implementation of the payments by Treasury as resolved by the Senate on October 18, 2018, following recommendations of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on a Petition by former Councilors on the one-off token of Sh200,000 each to former councilor’s for their dedicated service to the country.
Mr Mbadi is required to explain whether the government will consider enrolling the former councilors and their spouses for enrollment in the Social Health Insurance Fund scheme to benefit from treatment in their respective county health facilities.
The committee also wrote reminder letters to the National Treasury on February 28, 2023, April 14, 2023, and September 27, 2023 seeking responses and meeting invitations, all of which the Treasury requested for a reschedule.
Mr Murgor said the National Treasury responded to the two Statements in November 2023 and requested that the meeting be held in 2024.
