The National Assembly’s Special Funds Accounts Committee has directed Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo to personally appear before it on November 4, 2025, after repeatedly failing to attend 16 previous summons to address long-standing audit concerns.
The committee said Kiptoo has ignored several invitations to clarify audit issues tied to 14 funds under his ministry, some of which date back to the 2017/2018 financial year.
During Wednesday’s session, only two Treasury directors and the Chief Executive Officer of the Equalization Fund turned up, accompanied by other officials from the ministry.
When committee members sought to know Kiptoo’s whereabouts, the officials present said he was on official duty in Washington D.C.
“The Principal Secretary, National Treasury has failed to appear before the Committee that oversights funds under your purview sixteen times," stated North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood, who chaired the session.
Dawood listed all the 16 occasions between March 2023 and October 2025 when the PS did not attend, describing the trend as a “clear act of disregard” for Parliament’s constitutional oversight role on the management of public funds.
Mbooni MP Kivasu Nzioka said the PS’s persistent absence and lack of explanation raise serious questions about accountability.
Documents presented before the committee show that Kiptoo’s docket controls 14 crucial funds, including the Equalization Fund, Petroleum Development Levy Fund, European Widows and Orphans Pensions Fund, and the Credit Guarantee Scheme all of which have pending audits. Out of the 50 funds under review by the committee, the 14 handled by the National Treasury remain unresolved due to the PS’s absence.
According to Dawood, the Standing Orders empower Parliament to impose penalties of up to Sh500,000 on anyone who ignores summons. “Where a witness summoned does not appear, or appears but fails to satisfy the House or committee, the House or Committee may impose upon the witness a fine not exceeding Sh500,000, having regard to the witness’ condition in life and all the circumstances of the case," the Standing Orders state.
A review of Kiptoo’s X account indicates he was engaged in official meetings during some of the periods when he skipped committee appearances. On October 8, 2025, he posted photos from a meeting with Dr. Donal Brown, Associate Vice President of IFAD, and Mariatu Kamara, IFAD Country Director for Kenya.
A day earlier, he attended a Special Development Partners Roundtable at Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi.