Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, John Mbadi, is staring at a possible impeachment about a year into President William Ruto’s administration.
This comes after he failed to appear before Parliament on August 5, at a crucial meeting convened to address a ballooning Ksh30 billion debt owed to Kenya Power.
The session, organized by the Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, was meant to scrutinize why the Treasury has not released funds earmarked for the Rural Electrification Scheme (RES), a delay that has left many rural areas across the country quite literally in the dark.
Only the Ministry of Energy was represented, through Principal Secretary Alex Wachira. Mbadi and his Principal Secretary, Chris Kiptoo, were both no-shows, a pattern the committee says has become increasingly common and unacceptable.
“This government does a lot in the social space, even when it’s not commercially viable, because it’s a moral responsibility,” said David Kiplagat (Soy). He dismissed the Treasury’s justification that the debt was “not commercially viable,” calling it “an insult to the government’s last-mile agenda.”
MPs’ Warning to CS Mbadi
Lawmakers expressed outrage over stalled electrification projects, including broken-down mini-grid stations and non-functioning lithium battery systems in marginalized areas like Elwak, Mfangano, Kakaba, and parts of Wajir and Mandera.
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These failures, they warned, are worsening energy inequality and threatening Kenya’s Vision 2030 goal of universal electricity access.
Committee chair David Pkosing didn’t hold back. “That money is not a joke. It’s meant to connect rural Kenyans to power,” he said.
“We had a serious session with Kenya Power just last week on this issue, and it was clear that without Treasury’s support, nothing moves.”
The lawmakers now say they are seriously considering initiating an impeachment process against CS Mbadi and PS Kiptoo.
The committee argues that both officials have consistently snubbed summons to provide updates on critical government projects.
“The mood in this committee is that the Treasury is undermining Parliament,” said Pkosing. “It’s not just disrespect — it borders on sabotage. If things continue like this, impeachment is definitely on the table.”
Treasury KPLC Debt
Vice-Chair John Ariko (Turkana South) was even more direct. “Treasury owes KPLC Ksh30 billion and now says they might ‘consider’ paying next year? Are they carrying this money in their pockets?” he said, visibly frustrated.
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Parliament is currently reviewing Auditor General reports from FY 2018/2019 to 2022/2023, which have flagged mounting receivables, persistent project delays, and unresolved wayleave compensation issues stalling major transmission lines like Ndhiwa–Sondu and Narok–Bomet.
MP Maina Mathenge (Nyeri) added that skipping the meeting was not just a dereliction of duty; it was unconstitutional. “To say rural regions aren’t viable for electrification? That’s not just incorrect. It’s shameful.”
Pkosing issued a stern warning: if the Treasury PS fails to appear in the rescheduled session, the committee will escalate the matter.
“This committee is not a rubber stamp,” he said. “We are here to seek solutions, not listen to excuses.”
Lawmakers are now calling on the government to urgently address what they describe as retrogressive behavior from Treasury and energy officials.
Unless action is taken, they warn, rural electrification and Kenya’s broader development goals could be at serious risk.
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