Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna has slammed Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for skipping the Senate session in which he was supposed to respond to various queries.

Mbadi was scheduled to appear before the Senate on Wednesday morning, May 7, 2025, but Senate Speaker Amason Kingi communicated to the House that he had just received a letter from the CS saying that he would not attend the session since he had other official engagements.

Mbadi’s decision angered the senators, with Sifuna saying that most of the CSs who had joined the government recently think they are there to represent their ethnic communities.

”Let me first begin by saying this thing called broad-based government – I don’t know where it exists. Personally, I don’t recognise any entity called broad-based. There’s a government of Kenya Kwanza under the leadership of President William Ruto. Every Cabinet Secretary who serves in that government serves the Kenya Kwanza government. I want to join what Sen. Khalwale has said: that some of these individuals who joined the government recently think they are there to represent their ethnic communities,” Sifuna said.

”That every time a Cabinet Secretary stands up, he tells you how much the Ministry of Energy has allocated to power projects in Nyanza. So the rest of us Luhyas are sitting there wondering who is going to speak about the projects in Bugoma. It is the responsibility of all of us, irrespective of the political parties, to oversee the national governments and county governments.”

Sifuna on Mbadi snubbing Senate

Sifuna took issue with Mbadi, pointing out that he had time to show up for a TV interview on the night of Tuesday, May 6, but cannot spare the same time and honour the Senate summons.

He went ahead to claim that he switched off his TV channel to a football match since he knew Mbadi was set to appear before the Senate the following day.

Sifuna further suggested that the Cabinet Secretaries should be communicating to the Senate early enough if they know that they would not manage to attend sessions.

”Yesterday, at night, just before the game between Inter Milan and Barcelona began, I saw the CS for Treasury on Citizen TV; he has time to appear before Citizen TV, but he has no time to appear before this house. I refused to watch that interview and switched to the football match because I was expecting him here. The CSs must write in good time to tell the house that they will not be showing up. If a CS insists on writing a day before, that is absolute contempt,” he said.

Sen. @edwinsifuna (Nairobi): Yesterday, just before the game between Inter Milan and Barcelona, I saw CS Mbadi on citizen TV. He has time to appear before Citizen TV, but he has no time to appear before this House. That is the highest contempt for this Senate. #SenateLive pic.twitter.com/9x6AbfnrJ5

— Senate of Kenya (@Senate_KE) May 7, 2025