MPs threaten to impeach Mbadi, PS for 'contempt'

National Treasury CS John Mbadi(centre) accompanied by his PS Dr. Chris Kiptoo(left) with Economic Planning Principal Secretary, James Muhati(right) addressing the media outside Treasury Building in Nairobi on February 13, 2025, where they outline the progress made by the government in boosting momentum towards putting money in people's pockets. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] The National Treasury has been accused of acting in contempt of Parliament. Consequently, the Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy has now threatened to initiate an impeachment process against Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and his Principal Secretary, Chris Kiptoo. The two have been accused of persistently disregarding the committee whenever they are called upon to provide details on critical projects. On Tuesday, Kiptoo was required to attend an energy sector roundtable meeting to discuss, among other issues, the long-standing accounts receivable owed to Kenya Power of about Sh30 billion for rural electrification as at June 30, 2023, which has interfered with power connectivity, especially in rural areas. The National Treasury was invited alongside the Ministry of Energy, KPLC, Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation. The committee chairperson, David Pkosing, described the matter as weighty. "That money is not a joke. It is money supposed to help Kenyans get power, particularly in the rural areas. We had a serious task last week with Kenya Power on the need to supply power and ensure people get it, particularly rural areas - and most of us here represent rural people - but they were unable to," said the Pokot South MP. "The mood of the committee is that the National Treasury is undermining Parliament. It is undermining committees of Parliament, whether the Senate or the National Assembly, and that is why we are not taking these things lightly. It might lead to some other activities, and impeachment is not far-fetched, as MPs suggested earlier." He cited a power line between Ndhiwa, Sondu, Narok and Bomet, which has stalled. "And somebody is just enjoying himself. And maybe that's a cartel. There are so many cartels in this country. That is why members are saying National Treasury is key and it is not taking Parliament seriously," said Pkosing. The committee blamed the National Treasury for delayed projects. "We can blame these other institutions, yet Treasury is the one with resources for these communities. We are saying we are not ready to engage without the two institutions - Energy and National Treasury - so that we can agree on the way forward," said Soy MP David Kiplagat. Also of concern to the committee is a two-page response that Kiptoo sent to the committee, where he explained that the rural electrification programme was extending electricity to rural areas that were not commercially viable. The PS's response was termed condescending. The PS was also to respond to queries on the 56 mini-grids generation stations that KPLC operates, of which 30 are hybrid (solar/diesel), with the remainder being solar. However, the hybrid generation stations are not functioning optimally due to malfunctioning lithium batteries and inadequate fuel storage infrastructure, resulting in frequent load shedding and unreliable power supply to rural areas. Kaloleni MP Paul Katana dismissed Kiptoo's submission, regretting that the PS was given ample time to appear before the committee. "The person sent here cannot own the submission because he is not the one who has signed it. We needed PS here in person to engage him on serious issues. So, for this committee to be respected, the Treasury and Energy departments must go and prepare... We are talking about Sh30 billion. Kenyans are looking for services, and they are not getting them," he said. Pkosing adjourned the meeting for an hour to allow the representative time to reach out to Kiptoo and ask him to present himself. Later, he directed that the officials appear before the committee on Tuesday.

MPs threaten to impeach Mbadi, PS for 'contempt'

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