The National Assembly’s Special Funds Accounts Committee has summoned Treasury Principal Secretary (PS) Chris Kiptoo to appear in person on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, after repeatedly failing to honour 16 previous summons.

The Committee wants the PS to respond to audit queries involving 14 national funds under his docket, with some reports dating back to the 2017/2018 Financial Year.

During a session on Tuesday, two directors from the National Treasury and the CEO of the Equalization Fund appeared before the Committee, accompanied by other officials but without the PS.

“The Principal Secretary, National Treasury, has failed to appear before the Committee that oversights funds under his purview sixteen times,”
stated North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood, the Committee’s Vice-Chairperson, who chaired the session.

Dawood listed all 16 missed appearances between March 2023 and October 2025, describing the repeated absences as “a clear act of disregard” for Parliament’s oversight role in ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

Lawmakers Criticize PS’s Absence

Mbooni MP Kivasu Nzioka echoed Dawood’s remarks, saying Kiptoo’s continued absence and lack of communication was “deeply concerning.”

Committee records show that Kiptoo oversees several key national 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 audit backlogs.

Out of 50 funds reviewed by the Committee, 14 under the National Treasury remain unresolved due to the PS’s failure to appear.

Possible Ksh.500,000 Fine

Under Standing Order 191A, any person who fails to comply with a summons may face a fine not exceeding Ksh.500,000.

“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 Ksh.500,000, having regard to the witness’s condition in life and all the circumstances of the case,”
the Standing Order reads.

Kiptoo’s Official Engagements

When asked to explain the PS’s whereabouts, Treasury officials told the Committee that Kiptoo was on official duty in Washington D.C.

However, a spot-check on Kiptoo’s X (Twitter) account shows that he was actively engaged in meetings in Nairobi during several of the sessions he missed.

On October 8, 2025, Kiptoo shared photos from a meeting at his office 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 the Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi.