Wandayi appears before National Assembly over fuel importation scandal
By Mabonga Makhanu, April 13, 2026Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has finally honoured a summons by the National Assembly committee to appear before it and answer questions regarding the 60,000 metric tonnes of petrol that were imported outside the government-sanctioned framework.
The CS arrived before the National Assembly on Monday, April 13, 2026.
The energy cabinet secretary was originally scheduled to appear before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Energy on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 9:00am but failed to appear, issuing an apology that he was out of the country.
Energy committee
This left the members of the David Gikaria-led committee exasperated after the CS stated that he had travelled to Dubai for an official trip at a time when the country itself is grappling with fuel shortages, with Kenyans worried about a surge in petrol prices as unrest in the Middle East continues to intensify.
With Iran maintaining a hardline stance and refusing to open up the passage of fuel and gases through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key conduit where 25 per cent of the world’s fuel and gases pass.
MP David Gikaria expressed his frustrations with the CS for ignoring their summons. He also extended the same criticism to members of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and Kenya Pipeline Company for also failing to appear before the committee to answer key questions regarding the energy docket.
“We have been here since morning deliberating on critical issues affecting the country, but it is frustrating that we cannot give answers to Kenyans because the key players failed to appear,” Gikaria said.
“It is shocking that KPC, who are key players in this matter, did not show up. EPRA also failed to appear to confirm whether inspections have been carried out in petrol stations reporting shortages,” he said.
The summons
Officials from the Kenya Revenue Authority, which was also supposed to attend the National Assembly summons alongside the above entities, had also requested more time to prepare themselves before appearing before the energy committee, according to Gikaria.
In light of this, the energy committee wrote to the prime cabinet secretary, pleading with him to help ensure better coordination between the National Assembly and the cabinet and to assist in enforcing the attendance of such officials before parliamentary committees.
The CS, together with other relevant stakeholders, is expected to answer 16 key questions ranging from fuel availability and distribution to quality assurance, among other key issues.