NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 9 – Governors have suspended all appearances before Senate Committees even as they demanded the reconstitution of the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) while accusing four unnamed senators of intimidation, harassment, political witch-hunts, and extortion during committee hearings.
During a press briefing in Kilifi, Council of Governors (CoG) chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi said governors had resolved not to appear before the committee chaired by Homabay Senator Moses Kajwang until their concerns are addressed through structured engagement between the leadership of the Senate and the Council of Governors.
“The Council of Governors notes with great concern the continuous and escalating extortion, political witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation and humiliation of governors by certain senators when they appear before the Public Accounts Committee of the Senate,” Abdullahi said.
He accused some senators of turning oversight hearings into hostile political theatres, alleging that governors are deliberately kept waiting for hours, subjected to intimidation and pressured through political maneuvers designed to serve personal or partisan interests rather than accountability.
Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki clarified that the standoff is not with the Senate as an institution but with what he described as the conduct of four senators sitting in the Senate Public Accounts Committee.
“We have no issue with the Senate or its committees. Our problem is with four senators in CPAC. They know themselves. These four are involved in extortion, harassment and intimidation of governors,” he said.
The CoG chairperson further announced that governors would also scale back their appearances before the Senate County Public Investment Committee (CPIC), citing what he termed as excessive and repetitive summons on individual projects.
“Governors are required to appear several times to discuss one hospital, then another hospital, one investment, then another investment. This is not sustainable,” he said.
“We have therefore resolved that governors will appear only once before the County Public Investment Committee for every audit cycle.”
Abdullahi raised alarm over what he described as serious procedural and ethical concerns during committee sittings, including the use of bloggers instead of official parliamentary communication channels to cover proceedings.
“How do you allow bloggers to cover Senate committee proceedings instead of the official Senate communication team? The Senate is an august House” he posed.
He also alleged that auditors appearing before the committees are sometimes intimidated to incriminate specific governors, even when such claims are not supported by audit reports.
“At times, auditors are so intimidated that they end up saying things that are contrary to what is contained in the Auditor-General’s report. We cannot continue like this.,” Abdullahi said.
The CoG chairperson warned that unless the issues are resolved, governors are prepared to seek judicial interpretation on the scope of Senate oversight and the constitutional responsibilities of county chiefs.
“If we must go back to court to interpret what oversight is, what those appearances should entail and what the political responsibility of governors is, we are ready to go back to court,” he said.
Abdullahi insisted that governors remain committed to accountability and have no intention of undermining the Senate’s constitutional role.
“This is not about avoiding oversight. It is about ensuring that oversight is conducted in a professional, respectful and constitutional manner,” he said.
CPAC is currently reviewing Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s reports on county executives’ and assemblies’ financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2025.
The committee will also examine county revenue officers’ statements and reports on the County Revenue Fund in all 47 counties. Hearings were scheduled from January 26 to March 16, 2026, with the courts directing the Senate to conclude deliberations by March 31.
This new approach comes after governors previously delayed hearings despite court rulings, prompting the Senate to introduce a full sittings schedule.
The measure follows a High Court ruling in October 2024 by Judge Jairus Ngaah, which prohibited Parliament and county assemblies from considering audit reports more than three months after tabling.