President William Ruto, Mama Ida Odinga and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a meeting with Kenyans living in the United States in New York. Behind are CSs Alice Wahome (Lands), Hassan Joho (Mining), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and Trade's Lee Kinyanjui.

📋 Breaking It Down

President William Ruto’s decision to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly with seven Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) has opened a fresh battle line in the Senate, with legislators questioning whether the size of the delegation is justified at a time when Parliament is seeking answers from the Executive on pressing issues affecting Kenyans.

The disagreement played out on Wednesday during the Senate’s Mashinani sitting in Kilifi, where opposition senators linked the absence of several CSs to delays in addressing issues raised by residents and House committees, while their Kenya Kwanza counterparts defended the delegation as necessary for conducting government business on the sidelines of the global meeting.

At the centre of the dispute was growing concern over the impact of having several Cabinet secretaries out of the country at the same time, particularly as senators sought answers on issues affecting residents and government projects.

📌 What You Need to Know

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale questioned why seven CSs needed to accompany the President to the UN General Assembly, arguing that the size of the delegation raised both governance and financial questions.

“Kenya is not a failed state where seven Cabinet Secretaries can accompany the Head of State to the UN General Assembly and the responsibility that they are going to discharge is to sit in the background when the President is reading a statement,” Senator Khalwale said.

President William Ruto, Mama Ida Odinga and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a meeting with Kenyans living in the United States in New York on September 21, 2026 ahead of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

He said the absence of the ministers had an impact on the functioning of government and the cost borne by taxpayers.

“Parliament of Kenya should be disturbed because this not only has a bearing on the efficiency of how our government is run, it also has a financial implication,” he said, pointing to the cost of air tickets, security and other expenses associated with the delegation.

The criticism became more pointed because the Senate was meeting outside Nairobi, where senators were receiving complaints from residents and following up on projects that fall directly under the absent CSs.

📰 Source: Nation Africa