Senators have summoned Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to personally appear before them next week over delayed pensions and unremitted benefits, warning that continued absence by top officials has worsened the suffering of retirees and disrespected Parliament.

The Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has set August 4 as the date for Mbadi’s appearance, after Treasury Principal Secretary Cyrell Wagunda Odede was turned away during a sitting on Tuesday.

The senators insisted that only the Cabinet Secretary could give conclusive responses on the petitions that have remained unresolved for years.

Committee Chairperson Julius Murgor said Treasury’s repeated failure to directly engage the Senate had made the situation worse for those affected.

“We now understand that this will continue to drag because decisions are made at the Cabinet level. We would like to have the CS appear so that these matters can be concluded. Otherwise, the longer it drags, the more we are seen not to be performers,” he said.

The petitions in question involve unpaid pensions for former Kenya Railways and KEMRI staff, non-remitted death and disability benefits for public servants, and a delayed one-off honourarium for former councillors.

Kajiado Senator Samuel Seki Kanar questioned why the Senate should continue engaging lower-level officials if the Cabinet Secretary was unavailable.

“If the CS is not here, then the petition will not be met. I don’t know the reason why we should keep the PS. Let the CS appear with the PS and deal with the matter conclusively,” he stated.

Nominated Senator and Committee Vice Chairperson Crystal Asige also expressed frustration, pointing out that repeated calls for Mbadi to respond to issues under his ministry had been ignored.

“We have called upon the CS for many matters under his mandate, and he keeps failing to show up. Chair, this issue has dragged on for years. We need strong decisions and accountability,” she said.

Kitui Senator Enock Wambua accused Mbadi of turning his back on the values he previously stood for while serving in Parliament. Wambua noted that the Treasury boss had often used his Cabinet duties to avoid appearing before the Senate.

“He understands Parliament better than some of us. He even pushed for legislation to protect retirees. But now that he’s in the Executive, he’s running away from his own vision. Every time he’s required to appear, he claims to be attending Cabinet,” Wambua said.

“Appearing before Parliament is a constitutional requirement, not a favour. If the committee has decided on a date, the CS must honour it. Let us not weaken the authority of this House by offering him options.”

The committee declined to proceed with discussions, even though it allowed petitioners to give brief remarks. Chairperson Murgor said continuing without the CS would be unfair to the affected retirees.

“We don’t want to waste the time of retirees who travelled to be here. Let us meet the CS on Monday, August 4, so we avoid the Tuesday Cabinet excuse,” he said.

The senators expressed concern that the long-standing delays were not just administrative but pointed to deeper neglect of vulnerable citizens who have waited too long for their dues. They noted that in the past two years, letters from the committee—particularly on Kenya Railways and KEMRI pensions—had either gone unanswered or attracted repeated postponements from Treasury.

The committee warned that if the Cabinet Secretary fails to appear on the new date, they will consider taking further steps within Parliament to enforce accountability.