By Lauryne Akoth
Senators expressed their discontentment with the absence of Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage Aisha Jumwa, for failing to appear before the senate to answer questions relating to her Ministry.
The CS had been summoned by the senate severally to the senate but has since been a no-show. Jumwa wrote an apology letter to the speaker of the senate Amason Kingi, expressing her apologies for being absent from the senate, citing a conflicting schedule.
Nandi County Senator, Samson Cherargei was among the senators who reprimanded the CS. He observed that including cabinet secretaries on the order paper, only for them to be absent, was a misuse of valuable time that could have been more productively utilized in the enactment of bills and motions.
He termed Jumwa’s absenteeism as a calculated evasion and suggested imposing fines on cabinet secretaries who neglect to attend Senate summons. He echoed Senator Khalwale’s concerns about cabinet secretaries choosing to engage with members of the Senate in social events rather than appearing before the Senate when officially invited.
An angry Bony Khalwale also slammed the CS in the senate. he said, “This minister is now ripe for censure because she has never appeared before this house despite being summoned severally to respond to matters of grave national importance. She is not fit to hold public office”
Khalwale castigated Jumwa for dedicating time to meet with the opposition about the two-thirds gender rule but failing to present the same information in the Senate.
Nairobi county senator Edwin Sifuna made light of the moment by noting that he had been practising his Swahili to address the CS yet she did not show up.
He also criticized Jumwa for prioritizing funerals and press interviews over senate proceedings. Sifuna remarked that the other Cabinet secretaries who failed to appear before the senate informed the speaker in advance, something that Jumwa failed to do.
Jumwa was scheduled to appear alongside her colleagues Kipchumba Murkomen CS Road and Transport and Njuguna Ndung’u Minister of Finance who were absent with apologies.