NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 26 — The Council of Governors (CoG) has asserts its stance to boycott the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), escalating a standoff with the Senate over what Governors describe as persistent misconduct by certain members of the powerful oversight committee.
In a letter addressed to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, CoG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi said the decision was reached during an Extraordinary Council meeting held on Thursday.
The Council communicated that governors will continue appearing before all other Senate committees “to deliberate on matters of common interest to the counties” — except CPAC — until concerns previously raised about the committee are addressed.
In the letter, the Council reiterated that it had formally raised serious concerns regarding the conduct of certain CPAC members, including allegations of extortion, intimidation, political witch-hunt, and harassment.
“Regrettably, these concerns remain unaddressed. Indeed, the conduct in question has persisted, with continued attacks against governors, including on the Floor of the House,” Abdullahi said.
The letter was copied to several top State offices, including Chief Justice Martha Koome, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, the Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The CoG argued that such actions undermine the institutional and functional integrity of county governments and erode the dignity of the Senate as an oversight institution.
Last-minute cancellation
The Governors maintained that their boycott is strictly limited to CPAC and does not amount to a blanket rejection of the Senate’s constitutional oversight mandate.
The letter follows communication from Speaker Kingi dated February 25, 2026, in which he deferred a scheduled engagement between Senate leadership and the CoG. The meeting had been slated for Thursday, February 26.
Kingi indicated that the dialogue had been conditional upon governors honouring summonses to appear before Senate committees, particularly CPAC.
He cited Article 96 of the Constitution, which mandates the Senate to exercise oversight over national revenue allocated to counties, and Article 125, which grants Parliament powers to summon witnesses.
The Speaker warned that failure by governors to appear risks delaying consideration of Auditor-General reports ahead of the March 31 constitutional deadline under Article 229(4).
The standoff has its roots in an earlier resolution by governors accusing unnamed senators in CPAC of turning oversight hearings into hostile and politically charged sessions.
The committee is currently reviewing Auditor-General reports on county financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2025, including County Revenue Fund accounts across all 47 counties.
While reaffirming their commitment to accountability and prudent use of public resources, governors insisted that oversight must be exercised “lawfully, ethically, and devoid of abuse of office.”
“The purpose of this letter is to communicate the above resolution of the Council and call upon the leadership of the Senate to kindly but urgently address the concerns raised against members of CPAC,” the CoG stated.
As the March 31 deadline for reviewing county audit reports approaches, the impasse sets the stage for a potential constitutional confrontation between county governments and the Senate unless urgent dialogue restores working relations between the two institutions.
