Tourism CS Rebecca Miano has been summoned to appear before the Senate’s
Housing Committee after skipping a scheduled meeting on the
multi-billion-shilling redevelopment of the Bomas International Convention
Centre.
Miano is scheduled to appear before the panel chaired by Migori Senator
Eddy Oketch on August 4 at Parliament Buildings.
The committee resolved to issue a formal summons after rejecting the CS's request to postpone her appearance, saying ministers cannot decide whether information supplied to
Parliament is sufficient.
Lawmakers had expected the CS to respond to questions on contract
variations, project approvals, implementation reports and the overall progress
of the ambitious redevelopment project.
In a letter dated July 17, Miano said the concerns raised by the
committee had already been addressed in the ministry's response of April 28 and
asked that the meeting be rescheduled.
The explanation failed to convince senators.
"It is not the duty of a witness to decide whether the information
presented is adequate or not," Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ said.
"That is inconsistent with Article 125 on Parliamentary Powers and
Privileges. Cabinet Secretaries must know that they serve the people."
Committee chairperson Oketch
said Parliament had previously extended courtesy to the CS but would now invoke
its powers to compel her attendance.
"I think the only way we can have a good conversation is if we
issue a summons. Then she will understand the weight of this matter before the
committee and the concerns we intend to address," he said.
Oketch noted that the committee had accommodated her during a June 18 meeting.
Members also allowed her to leave early after
she cited other official engagements.
"To come and tell us that she has given us an adequate response is
an abuse of what we had discussed that day because we excused her with a lot of
respect on the understanding that she would come back and clarify the concerns
raised," he said.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua backed the decision, saying the committee had
acted in good faith during Miano's previous appearance.
"We were so magnanimous on that day. Instead of sending her back
because it would have embarrassed the ministry, we decided to be courteous. The
CS should now be summoned because she is abusing parliamentary courtesy,"
he said.
The meeting was also attended by Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute and
Laikipia Senator John Kinyua.
The summons comes as Parliament intensifies scrutiny of the Bomas
redevelopment, one of the government's flagship infrastructure projects aimed
at transforming the historic cultural centre into a world-class convention hub.
The project seeks to position Nairobi as a leading destination for
international conferences, diplomatic summits and major exhibitions.
Once completed, the new Bomas centre
will feature a 5,000-seat main convention hall, a 3,500-seat auditorium and a
1,500-seat banquet ballroom for state functions and international events.
Plans also include a presidential pavilion capable of hosting up to 32
heads of state simultaneously, 54 meeting rooms and facilities capable of
accommodating about 11,000 delegates at the same time.
Appearing before the committee earlier, Miano said the project had made
significant progress in design, structural works and infrastructure
development.
"The project has seen the completion of key design phases, notable
progress in core structural works and ongoing infrastructure development as
well as auxiliary installations," she said.
The convention centre will be equipped with advanced audio-visual technology
to support hybrid conferences, enabling delegates attending physically in
Nairobi to interact with participants joining virtually from across the world.
The project also includes landscaped public spaces, parking for about
1,300 vehicles and a digital cultural and heritage centre designed to preserve
and showcase Kenya's rich traditions.
According to the CS, the heritage centre will feature immersive
multimedia exhibitions, oral history archives, digitised performances of
traditional music and dance, and interactive displays highlighting indigenous
knowledge systems, crafts, attire and rituals.
"The centre will feature immersive multimedia exhibitions,
including oral history archives, virtual storytelling experiences and digitised
performances of traditional music and dance," Miano said.
She said the redevelopment had been designed to preserve the cultural
identity of Bomas of Kenya while creating a modern convention complex capable
of competing with leading conference facilities globally.
Despite the ambitious vision, senators remain concerned about the pace
of implementation.
The committee heard that physical construction stands at only 34.5 per
cent, even though about 70 per cent of the project implementation period has
already elapsed, raising doubts about the government's target of completing the
project by September.
Lawmakers also questioned the role of the Ministry of Defence in
overseeing procurement and sought assurances that project costs remain under
control.
Miano defended the arrangement, saying the project's scale and technical
complexity required specialised oversight and insisting that the remaining
works largely involve finishing, installations and systems integration, which
can be completed more quickly than structural construction.
