Interior CS Fred Matiang’i risks being impeached for snubbing a Parliament committee twice.
Yesterday, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi sent a stern warning to Matiang’i over his conduct towards parliamentary committees.
Matiang’i for the second time yesterday disregarded two invitations from the National Security committee chaired by MP Paul Koinange.
The House has 60 questions the CS is supposed to respond to.
Muturi directed the committee to summon the Cabinet secretary and get back to the House should he fail to allow them to “deal with him”.
The committee has issued summons to the CS to appear before it next week to answer to the questions. “Summon the CS, failure to which the House can deal with him. We can drag him to the House. We cannot entertain a situation where 60 questions remain unanswered,” Muturi said.
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Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa demanded that Parliament impeach Matiang’i to send a warning to other Cabinet secretaries fond of snubbing crucial House committee sittings.
“Allow us to impeach one CS as a lesson. Matiang’i is not a super CS. The best thing is to bring an impeachment motion against the Cabinet secretary. It is this House which vets and approve them,” the lawmaker said.
Kisumu West MP Olago Aluoch told the committee not to pamper the Cabinet secretary and instead initiate a censure motion.
He said the House cannot work in vain and called for tough actions against government officials who take Parliament for granted.
Earlier, the committee resolved to summon Matiang’i to appear before it next week, vowing to immediately initiate the impeachment process should he fail to turn up.
“We are concerned that the Interior CS and PS for the second time have failed to appear before us. We have resolved to summon him next week and if he fails to come, then he will face the consequences,” Koinange said.
MPs Opondo Kaluma (Homa Bay Town) and Didmus Barasa (Kimilili) – both members of the security committee – hit out at Matiang’i for snubbing the team and threatened serious action if he ignores the next week’s summon.
Kaluma said the committee will go beyond fines and hinted at invoking sections of the Constitution to punish the CS.
The committee wants Matiang’i to respond to, among others, the poor state of prisons, which they say are in deplorable conditions despite government funding. “Prisons money is being diverted. Prisons land is being grabbed by cartels,” Barasa said.
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