Mbadi, Oparanya ordered to appear before Senate today or risk being fined, jailed

Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya and his Treasury counterpart John Mbadi have been ordered to appear before the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on Wednesday after failing to honour earlier summons.

The committee initially summoned Oparanya in August last year to respond to issues raised in a petition filed over the payment of terminal benefits to former employees of the Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) and unremitted deductions to Maziwa Sacco.

However, the CS has snubbed seven invitations since, the latest being two weeks ago on August 4.

“You have not honoured the various invitations to appear and have instead sent apologies with the last non-appearance explained vide a letter dated 1st August, 2025, where you requested the committee to schedule the meeting to 7th August, 2025, which request was declined,” a letter by the Senate clerk to Oparanya reads.

Similarly, Mbadi was first invited in August 2024 to discuss issues concerning delayed pension for pensioners of the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme after he submitted his responses to the committee.

But he has not honoured eight summons since, and on August 4, he requested the Senate committee to reschedule the meeting to a later date. His request was turned down.

Now, Oparanya has been directed to appear before the committee at Parliament buildings at 10 a.m. or produce documentation required by the committee.

Mbadi has also been ordered to appear in person at the same time.

Failure to do this, the two ministers have been threatened with fines not exceeding Ksh.500,000 or arrest warrants.

“You may also be guilty of an offence in terms of section 27 (1) (a) (i) and (c) (ii), respectively, of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, for which you shall be liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both such fine and imprisonment,” the Senate clerk’s letters to each of them add.