Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna criticized Treasury CS John Mbadi today for failing to appear before the Senate after a scheduled meeting this morning.
Mr. Sifuna, reacting to a letter from the Treasury chief requesting a postponement, accused Mr. Mbadi of taking the senators for granted. In the letter, the former Suba South lawmaker cited pressing issues at State House as the reason for his absence.
“Mr. Speaker, this is outright disrespect to this house and to the senators. The CS cannot write a letter excusing himself at the last minute after the senators woke up early to be on time for the meeting,” thundered the Nairobi lawmaker.
He continued, “Mr. Mbadi understands this house better than others in the executive. He served as a Member of Parliament for close to 20 years and should know the importance of this house.”
The ODM Secretary General criticized the CS for allegedly changing his behavior just two weeks after his appointment as Treasury CS.
“It has taken him just two weeks to transform into a serious member of Kenya Kwanza. He has come from the legislative wing of government, where he served for many years. I would have excused him if he had come from the wilderness like others,” he exclaimed.
Comparing the current regime to that of the late President Moi, the lawmaker noted that meetings with Parliament were prioritized during Moi’s era.
“President Moi once said that if he had a meeting at State House scheduled at the same time as a parliamentary session, he would appear in Parliament first because he understood the importance of this house,” he emphasized.