Interior CS Fred Matiangi has for the second time ignored a summon by a joint parliamentary committee that required him to appear and explain claims he had made about illicit sugar containing mercury.

Matiang'i's presence at the parliamentary committee sparked a heated debate as MPs accused the Interior CS of looking down on parliament.

However, matters deteriorated after the Vice Chairman of the Trade committee Cornelley Serem dragged President Uhuru Kenyatta's younger brother, Muhoho Kenyatta, to the sugar debate.

Serem claimed that Muhoho was among sugar importers who had made Matiang'i fearful of making more pronouncements on the contraband sugar.

The legislator, who is an ally of Deputy President William Ruto, was quickly ruled out of order by the committee's co-chairperson, Kanini Kega, who blocked Serem's attempt to table the documents that would substantiate the claims.

Kega later ruled that Matiang'i should be given another opportunity to appear before the committee on Friday.

The development came amid reports of frosty relations between Kenyatta and Ruto.