•The committee was to review audit queries for the year to June 2019, and 2020.
•Among the outstanding issues are the Sh24 billion operating loss posted in 2020.
Image: FILE
Kenya Railways bosses face summons to Parliament after snubbing a House oversight team on Wednesday.
The Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy want the managers reprimanded for failing to heed an invitation.
The committee chaired by Pokot South MP David Pkosing made the directive saying the excuse the bosses gave was flimsy.
Kenya Railways was to appear before PIC to answer audit queries for the year ending June 2019 and the year to June 2020.
Pkosing said:
“We should be moving toward summonses. We will give them the earliest possible time and reprimand them.”
Among the outstanding audit issues at the Philip Mainga-led corporation are the Sh24 billion operating loss posted in 2020.
PIC also seeks to review the illegal allocation of land citing nine industrial plots within Limuru Railway Station, three in Kikuyu and parcels adjacent to the Mombasa Railway station.
The parcels, including 529 others across the country, in question, have been allocated to third parties with some already developed.
An Sh3 billion variance in freight revenue from the Standard Gauge Railway is also lined up for the probe after the auditor cast doubt on the Sh14 billion Kenya Railways reported as its income for the year.
The Pkosing-led committee is also seeking to probe unsupported land compensation payments by the Kenya Railways Corporation.
About Sh1 billion was not backed up with details of beneficiaries, their ID card, PIN certificates and title deed surrenders from the National Land Commission. An overpayment of Sh8.9 million is also due for the probe.
However, the agency bosses told the office of the clerk, albeit informally, that the managing director couldn’t attend the committee as the agency was not prepared.
“They said they will write an official letter. The managing director was said to be in a meeting. No official letter has come yet,” a Parliament official told PIC.
Pkosing said that without an official letter, it was difficult to know why the agency official couldn’t appear.
“We can’t know why they're not coming. Kenya Railway has absconded. Write a serious letter demanding their appearance here next week,” he said.
Other members of the committee raised concerns they had abandoned other duties to attend the meeting only for Kenya Railways management to skip the session.
MPs Sarah Korere (Laikipia North), Babu Owino (Embakasi East), Paul Katana (Kaloleni), Maryanne Kitany (Aldai), and Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) protested KR’s snub.
Wandayi said he was taken aback that the entity’s managers couldn’t even write a proper letter addressing their absence.
“If we don't stamp authority we will set a bad precedent. Time shouldn't arise since the report was out many years ago.”
“It is incumbent they prepare the queries. Letters alone are not enough. Don't give them too much time. At the most a week,” Wandayi said.
“We leave other businesses to come here. If we don't take these things seriously, they are going to continue treating Parliament casually. Let's take stern action. Let Kenya Railways be an example. The reasons are flimsy,” Korere said.
For his part, Babu Owino said:
“Our role is to ensure we keep check and balance. What Kenya Railways has done is professional misconduct and unprofessional. We have to read the riot act.”
Kaloleni’s Paul Katana said he was concerned with the casual manner in which the railways managers have taken the committee.
“We were prepared. Now it is a waste of time. Don't condone this kind of behaviour. They should tell us two days in advance that they won’t be available,” he said.
Keitany said, “It is sad that I have left an important engagement and they decide to dishonour the invite. Give them a stern warning and then compel them to appear next Tuesday.”