Seven CSs miss Senate sessions as 578 statements await action

Repeated failures by senators to attend sittings have disrupted the Senate’s oversight work, leaving seven Cabinet Secretaries unable to respond to parliamentary questions in just two weeks as the House struggles to secure the minimum number of lawmakers required to transact business.

The latest setback on Wednesday saw four Cabinet Secretaries miss their scheduled appearances after the Senate failed to raise the required quorum of 15 members, despite having a total membership of 67.

Speaker Amason Kingi was eventually forced to suspend proceedings after attempts to bring more senators into the chamber failed.

“Honourable senators, there being no quorum having rung the bell pursuant to standing order 40(2), the senate stands adjourned until later today at 2.30pm,” Kingi said.

The affected officials were Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi, Defence CS Soipan Tuya, MSME Development CS Wycliffe Oparanya and Lands CS Alice Wahome, who had been expected to face questions from senators.

Their appearances were intended to address concerns touching on delayed development projects, gaps in urban infrastructure, losses suffered by businesses during demonstrations and the mysterious space debris that fell in Makueni County.

The disruption followed a similar incident the previous Wednesday, when three other Cabinet Secretaries were unable to appear before the House after senators again failed to meet the attendance threshold.

Environment CS Deborah Barasa, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Roads CS Davis Chirchir had been scheduled to respond to various questions but were turned away following the adjournment.

Barasa was expected to clarify a proposed allocation of 427 acres within the Nyatike Forest Block in Migori County to a private firm for gold exploration.

Mudavadi was due to answer questions about government interventions to address drought and the management of funds set aside for relief operations.

Chirchir, on the other hand, was expected to explain why several road projects across the country had stalled.

The seven officials have now missed opportunities to account to Parliament on matters involving government operations, development programmes and the use of public resources.

The situation has brought fresh attention to the Senate’s capacity to carry out its constitutional oversight mandate, particularly as lawmakers face mounting pressure to clear a growing list of pending business before the end of the year.

The Senate had revised its Standing Orders to set aside Wednesday mornings for Question Time, creating a dedicated session for Cabinet Secretaries to respond to concerns raised by elected representatives.

However, the arrangement has repeatedly been disrupted by the absence of senators, raising concerns over the effectiveness of the new schedule.

The challenge is not limited to missed appearances by Cabinet Secretaries. Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot last week disclosed that the House was facing a substantial backlog comprising 63 Bills, 30 motions, 18 petitions and 578 statements awaiting conclusion.

Among the key pieces of legislation awaiting action are the Public Participation Bill, the Referendum Bill and the Cooperatives Bill.

Cheruiyot said the Senate was expected to conclude work on the three Bills before proceeding on its December recess.

He also defended the House against claims that it had failed to process statements, explaining that the pending matters had been forwarded to different committees for consideration.

“We do not want people to have the impression that this House does not process statements. Those statements are all before the various committees,” Cheruiyot said.

Meanwhile, the problem of failing to secure quorum has affected committee business, further complicating the Senate’s oversight responsibilities.

On Monday, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja was kept waiting for nearly two hours after members of the Senate Public Accounts Committee failed to assemble in sufficient numbers for his scheduled appearance.

The incidents have unfolded shortly after senators resumed sittings following a four-week recess, despite Kingi having challenged them to improve attendance and speed up consideration of pending matters.

Addressing the House last Tuesday, the Speaker reminded lawmakers that the remaining weeks before the December-January break would be crucial in determining how much of the Senate’s legislative agenda could be completed.

“This will be the last segment of the Senate Calendar (Regular Sessions of the Senate, 2026). It will be a short one before the Senate undertakes the December to January recess,” he said.

He specifically appealed to the Majority Leader, Minority Leader and committee chairpersons to take responsibility for ensuring members attended sittings and prioritised outstanding business.

“I, therefore, urge that we redouble our collective efforts in a bid to conclude the business of the Senate by the close of the session in December 2026,” Kingi said.

Despite the appeal, Wednesday’s proceedings exposed the continuing difficulty in getting senators to attend plenary sessions.

Kingi ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to ring the quorum bell for at least 10 minutes to alert and summon absent lawmakers to the chamber.

Even after the extended call, the Senate could not attain the required numbers, leaving the Speaker with no option but to adjourn proceedings until 2.30pm.