Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba was on Wednesday, August 23 forced to apologize in the National Assembly over his letter to Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.
In the letter tabled by Ichung’wah, CS Namwamba questioned Members of Parliaments’ knowledge about the Ministry of Sports.
He also asked MPs to ask questions regarding the ministry using official structures in the National Assembly oversight architecture.
Ichung’wah termed the letter as condescending to the National Assembly’s mandate in oversighting the executive.
“Honorable Speaker I have chosen to read this letter out because I find it extremely condescending to the house. As I appreciate the minister has agreed to come he has appeared in the house on the invitation and not by himself as he implies in this letter,” Ichung’wah stated.
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Speaker Wetangula on his part termed the contents of the letter strange and directed Ichung’wah to communicate to Cabinet Secretaries on how to conduct themselves during plenary sessions.
“I found as your speaker the content of the letter read by the Majority leader strange. This goes to the Majority Leader, inform Cabinet Ministers that they come to answer questions guided by you as the majority leader who is the nexus between this house and the executive. And writing to the speaker after he has given direction is inadvisable,” he stated.
The National Assembly speaker then asked CS Namwamba to withdraw the contents of the letter and tender an apology to the house.
"May I therefore with a lot of respect withdraw that correspondence and unreservedly tender my apology to the house," Namwamba said.
