National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has revisited a tense encounter with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, alleging that the lawmaker once attempted to embarrass him during a Senate committee session.
Mbadi’s remarks come just hours after the Council of Governors (CoG) publicly named several senators over alleged misconduct and harassment during oversight proceedings.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV’s JKL show on Wednesday night, Mbadi acknowledged claims of extortion and harassment linked to appearances before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC).
He argued that the accusations are longstanding and called on Parliament to examine its own conduct.
“This accusation of extortion is not new. Parliament needs to do some self-reflection,” Mbadi said.
“I remember a time when my immediate former Secretary General almost tried to embarrass me in a parliamentary committee for nothing. I was asked to explain, and he started shouting.”
Although Mbadi did not provide specific details of the incident, his comments appeared to reference past sessions in which he was summoned to respond to financial oversight queries.
His remarks add a political dimension to the growing debate over the conduct of Senate oversight committees.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Council of Governors issued a statement following a meeting in which it singled out four senators—CPAC Chairperson Moses Kajwang, Vice-Chairperson Johnes Mwaruma, Edwin Sifuna and Samson Cherargei.
The Council alleged that the four had been “notorious” for misconduct during oversight sessions.
According to the CoG, the named senators have been “consistently cited” in complaints raised by governors regarding the manner in which CPAC proceedings are conducted.
The governors expressed concern over what they described as harassment and unprofessional conduct during hearings.