MPs Criticize Government Agencies for Ignoring Parliamentary Directives

Several government agencies and departments are under scrutiny for failing to implement key recommendations made by Parliament regarding audits and motions.
In a report released Tuesday, the National Assembly’s Implementation Committee flagged multiple state bodies, including the Kenya Revenue Authority, the National Social Security Fund , the National Cereals and Produce Board , the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Treasury, and KenGen, for not following through on parliamentary orders.
The report, presented by committee chairman Raphael Wanjala, MP for Budalang’i, pointed to the Ministry of Education as a primary example of non-compliance.
The committee highlighted a 2023 National Assembly resolution requiring the government to establish a policy on the standardization and production of school uniforms. Despite the order being issued on 1March 2023, the ministry has yet to fully implement it, more than a year later.
“The committee observed that the circular issued by the ministry only focused on secondary education, yet the issue of school uniforms affects all pupils,” the report said. “The ministry has also failed to effectively disseminate the directive preventing schools from directing parents to specific uniform suppliers.”
The committee urged the Education Cabinet Secretary to widely publicize the directive through various media channels. MPs also called for a more detailed framework to ensure compliance with the order, which prohibits schools from compelling parents to buy uniforms from specific suppliers or to stock uniforms themselves.
In addition to the school uniform issue, the committee criticized the management of the school feeding program, suggesting that the initiative should be expanded to all schools after a comprehensive needs assessment.
The Interior Ministry also came under fire for not opening birth and death registration centers in all 290 constituency headquarters as recommended by Parliament. As of the review, only 159 centers were operational, prompting concerns over delayed implementation due to insufficient funding and bureaucratic holdups.
The report further revealed that some government officials were disregarding House orders, causing unnecessary delays in execution. MPs also noted that many recommendations directed at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission had not been acted upon, particularly a case involving fraud at the West Kano Irrigation Scheme, where officials implicated in a 2015 scandal have not been prosecuted.
“The EACC should address all recommendations directed to it and provide a status report within 60 days of this report’s adoption,” the committee stated.
The NSSF was also criticized for failing to allocate over 942 million shillings in pension funds to rightful recipients. The report found that the funds had been held in suspense accounts, causing delays for pensioners seeking to retrieve their contributions.
Additionally, a long-standing dispute between NSSF and KRA over an overpaid tax of 904 million shillings remains unresolved. Despite a 2021 ruling by the Public Investments Committee that KRA refund the tax, the implementation committee found that the recommendation had not been honored.
The NCPB was also scrutinized for not taking action against employees linked to a 2018 maize scandal. The report revealed that no internal investigations had been conducted to hold those responsible accountable.
The committee urged NCPB management to investigate the loss of public funds and ensure that implicated employees are prosecuted.
Other notable criticisms included the Trade Ministry’s failure to settle outstanding dues to former workers of Pan Paper Mills and doubts over the recoverability of 4.5 billion shillings loaned to farmers by the Agricultural Finance Corporation in the early 2000s. Lawmakers recommended a radical recovery strategy to address the situation.
The committee’s report emphasizes the ongoing issue of non-implementation of parliamentary resolutions and calls on government agencies to adhere to House directives more diligently.