The cabinet secretary for Information Communication and Technology Mr Joe Mucheru becomes the latest top government official to overlook a summon to appear before the Senate committee.
Mucheru was supposed to appear before the committee on Tuesday but failed to show up, the Senate team has now issued him a fresh invitation next week Monday.
“Thursday is a day reserved for Cabinet meetings hence I will thereafter travel out of the country on official duties from 19 February to 26 February 2018 and I, therefore, request for postponement of this meeting to a later date,” read part of Mucheru's letter.
The Senate committee wanted Mucheru to explain the circumstances under which transmission of four television station was switched off.
However, Mucheru missed the meeting with excuses that he had other pressing engagements, an answer that didn't go down well with the senate members.
“This is a sign that the CS is contemptuous on the role of Parliament. The contempt the CS has shown is an extension to Parliament is an extension to the contempt that he shows to the constitution, media and violating the rights of the public who have a right to information,” said Homa Bay senator Moses Kajwang.
Opposition MPs Malachy Ekal(Turkana), Isa Boy(Kwale), and Enock Wambua(Kitui) questioned Mucheru's absence at a time when Kenyans are hungry for answers on the media shutdown.
“Everybody in the country is waiting for an answer as to exactly what informed the decision to close the transmission of the four television stations for a record of ten days. The country needs to understand why the CS disobeyed court orders to switch back the transmission of the four.Freedom of the media is not something that this country begs from the government,” said Wambua.