Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya and his Treasury counterpart John Mbadi have been ordered to appear before the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare today (Wednesday), failure to which they risk fines or jail.
The two Cabinet Secretaries have been accused of repeatedly snubbing invitations from the committee despite pending issues requiring their input.
Oparanya was first summoned in August 2024 to respond to a petition regarding the payment of terminal benefits to former Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) employees and unremitted deductions to Maziwa Sacco. However, the CS has skipped seven invitations, the latest being on August 4, 2025.
“You have not honoured the various invitations to appear and have instead sent apologies with the last non-appearance explained vide a letter dated 1st August, 2025, where you requested the committee to schedule the meeting to 7th August, 2025, which request was declined,” reads a letter from the Senate clerk addressed to Oparanya.
Similarly, Treasury CS John Mbadi has failed to honour eight summons since August 2024. He had been invited to shed light on delayed pensions for beneficiaries of the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme. His recent request to postpone the August 4, 2025 session was also rejected.
The committee has now directed both CSs to appear in person at Parliament buildings at 10 a.m. today or present the required documentation.
Failure to comply could see the ministers fined up to Ksh.500,000, or face arrest warrants.
“You may also be guilty of an offence in terms of section 27 (1) (a) (i) and (c) (ii), respectively, of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, for which you shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both such fine and imprisonment,” the Senate clerk warned in letters to each CS.
Leave a Reply