CS Miano comes under fire for snubbing MPs

A parliamentary committee session turned tense after Members of Parliament questioned the repeated absence of Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano during crucial budget discussions for the Ministry of Tourism.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Tourism and Wildlife, which was meeting on Monday, May 11, 2026, to review the Ministry’s 2026/27 Budget Estimates, expressed concern that the Cabinet Secretary had failed to attend for the second time in a row, slowing down the scrutiny process.

Led by Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki, the committee said the absence was affecting its ability to properly interrogate the ministry’s spending plans and delayed progress on final budget approvals.

Tension rose further after Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa informed MPs that Rebecca Miano was at State House involved in preparations for a State dinner linked to delegates attending the Africa Forward Summit.

Lawmakers dismissed the explanation, saying budget matters required full attention from the ministry leadership, especially at a stage where public funds allocation was being finalised.

“Waziri should choose her priorities right. Today’s budget meeting was extremely crucial to her ministry, and she cannot skip it because of other assignments,” Mbiuki said.

He also reminded the committee that the Cabinet Secretary had missed a similar session the previous week, adding that the repeated absence was disrupting continuity in the budget review process.

“She missed her last meeting, at which we were supposed to discuss budget issues, which would have been decided on the success of today’s sitting, last week,” Mbiuki added.

Voi MP Abdi Chome also criticised the situation, saying the ministry leadership should have been present to directly account for ongoing projects and financial plans.

“The CS should have been here a lot sooner than members today to discuss what is being done on the various projects by the ministry,” Abdi said.

Lamu East MP Ruweida Mohamed added that she had incurred extra costs after rescheduling her travel arrangements to attend the sitting, only to find the Cabinet Secretary absent.

She said she had to change her flight to Mombasa in order to attend the meeting, noting that the absence affected members who had made sacrifices to be present.

Despite the Cabinet Secretary’s absence, the committee allowed PS Ololtuaa to proceed with presenting the ministry’s proposed Sh17.5 billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year.

However, the presentation immediately faced criticism from MPs, who questioned unclear figures and missing explanations in some of the spending proposals.

Lawmakers said parts of the budget did not clearly match project allocations, making it difficult to understand how funds would be distributed across key programmes.

They further raised concern that large sums were being requested for projects that were not properly backed by supporting documents.

“Budget is a matter of figures, not stories; since you are not equipped, you have to be sent back,” Mbiuki said.

He insisted that the committee would not proceed with incomplete submissions and demanded full documentation before any further consideration.

The Ministry of Tourism is expected to return before the committee on Wednesday to defend its 2026/27 budget estimates and address the concerns raised by MPs.