ICT CS Joe Mucheru is in trouble for snubbing House team over implementation of a 2015 committee’s report on restructuring TelcomKenya’s balance sheet.
The CS failed to appear before the National Assembly’s Implementation Committee chaired by Narok North MP Koitalel ole Kenta for a record four times something that the infuriated MPs claim amounts to insubordination of MPs’ work.
Yesterday, the CS wrote to the Committee saying he was unable to appear as he was tasked to escort Botswana President Mokgweets Masisi who is in the country on official state visit.
MPs Kenta, Godffrey Osotsi (vice chairman) and Simba Arati (Dagorreti South) demanded tough action against the CS threatening to recommend sanctions on the CS to Parlaiment.
“We are very unhappy with the ICT PS for failing to appear for the fourth time even after we notified him accordingly. We will not hesitate to ask the House to sanction him, ” said Kenta.
“This is a matter of great national concern, the government could have rearranged itself to have someone do what Mucheru was to do,” added Osotsi.
The committee summoned the CS to appear before it on Tuesday next week.
The Cs was to brief the committee on the implementation status of the 2015 special report of Public Investment Committee on the recapilisation, privatization and restructuring Telcom Kenya’s balance sheet.
The CS had however maintained that Telcom is privately owned and does not fall within his docket something the MPs protested claiming the government shareholding in the company is substantive to be ignored.
“There is nothing like private company, the government owns 40 percent of the total shareholding,” stated the committee chairman yesterday.
The MPs at the same time expressed opposition to the proposed merger between Airtel and Telcom Kenya saying a number of issues should first be addressed before the process continues.
They urged the CS to halt any merger process until the committee is fully satisfied.
