Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna wants the House to consider increasing the fine imposed on officials who snub committee meetings.
Speaking during a Senate Roads, Transportation, and Housing committee session, Sifuna said a Sh500,000 fine is too little for some top government or county officials.
“A fine of Sh500,000 is peanuts for some officials like a city governor. The fine is not motivation enough for them to show up before committees when they are summoned,” Sifuna stated.
Sifuna made the remarks after the committee chair Karungo Thang’wa told members Nairobi Governor had paid his Sh500,000 fine imposed on him.
“The governor has showed up for today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting and I want to confirm that he paid the fine with a banker’s cheque,” Thang’wa said.
His committee fined Sakaja Sh500,000 in November last year for snubbing a meeting on the Nairobi Regeneration and Urban Renewal Programme, which is being undertaken by the county.
Sakaja was supposed to shed light on the progress of the construction of 40,000 housing units.
The Kiambu Senator stated that the Sh500,000 shillings fine imposed was in accordance with the standing orders for failing to honour the summons of the committee.
The Nairobi County Boss failed to honour the committee summon and instead wrote a letter to the committee through the county attorney explaining that he was out of the country on official duty.
Sifuna had raised the issue before the committee on behalf of the landowners and cited contempt by the Governor to honour the invitations for a whole year.
The committee was meeting with the chairpersons of residents’ associations on Ofafa Jericho, Jericho Lumumba, California and Ofafa Maringo estates earmarked for a facelift.
Sifuna however said Sakaja appears before the committee only when he has “selfish interests to push”.
“You appeared before senators the other day with other governors to push for a Sh450 billion allocation to counties. It seems you only come before us when you want to benefit,” he said.
Sifuna added that Sakaja should not undermine the work of committee chairs.
“Committee chairs at the end of the day want to say how much work they have prosecuted. They want to have bragging rights but when you do not show up when invited, you make their work difficult,” he stated.
