CS Mucheru skips Senate summons again

ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has skipped the second consecutive summon by the Senate Committee on Information, Communication and Technology.

Mr. Mucheru had been summoned to appear before the Senate on Monday, February 19 to explain the controversial media shutdown that denied Kenyans access to information for 10 days.

This was after he failed to appear before the committee on Thursday, February 15 and instead sent a letter signed by ICT Principal Secretary Henry Mungasia saying Thursday is usually set for Cabinet meetings.

The explanation angered the legislators who accused Mucheru of being contemptuous of the summon.

“The CS is contemptuous. Did he just realise Thursday is a Cabinet day?” posed an infuriated Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang.

“We want to know what they were investigating on the media houses that had been shut, who was investigating? What did they find? Who will pay for the losses suffered?” added the Senator.

The committee hence ordered the CS to show up before them on Monday, February 19, despite the him saying he would be flying out of the country today.

In the letter, the ICT CS said he will only be available to appear before the committee after February 26.

The government shut down four private TV stations; Citizen TV, Inooro TV, KTN and NTV for transmitting live coverage of the “swearing in” of opposition leader Raila Odinga on January 30.

The government then claimed it was conducting investigations against the media houses, plunging the country into several days of information black out.