NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18-Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has called on the Senate to take firm action against governors who defy oversight, proposing funding cuts to counties whose leaders fail to honour summons.
In February,the Council of Governors (CoG) led by Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi directed its members to stop appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), accusing certain senators of political witch-hunts, harassment, and extortion.
Addressing the House, Sifuna, who sits in CPAC, said continued non-compliance by some county chiefs was undermining accountability and weakening the Senate’s oversight mandate.
He urged lawmakers to back a proposal that would see funds withheld from counties whose governors ignore the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC).
Sifuna clarified that the defiance was limited to a section of governors, accusing them of deliberately avoiding accountability and, in some cases, influencing others to follow suit.
He cited a recent incident in which a governor who had agreed to appear before the committee allegedly changed her position after receiving a phone call from a colleague. According to Sifuna, the governor kept the committee waiting while taking instructions before failing to proceed as expected.
“We had a situation last week where a governor who chose to attend kept us waiting there because she was on the phone with the Chairperson of the Council of Governors, being threatened that if they proceeded with that meeting, there would be a consequence,” Sifuna explained.
He described the incident as troubling, saying such actions erode the spirit of cooperation between county governments and the Senate and weaken efforts to enforce accountability.
The Nairobi senator maintained that political considerations should not shield any leader from scrutiny, insisting that compliance with oversight processes is mandatory.
“Not all governors are refusing to appear..there are just a few notorious ones…i challenge my chair to give the names of the top five notorious governors; they are the ones inciting other people,” Sifuna stated.
The senator at the same time lauded Senate leadership, including Speaker Amason Kingi and Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, for supporting the committee’s work in scrutinizing the use of public resources across counties.
“Mr Speaker, I want the chair to bring that motion that we had agreed should be brought here so that we stop funds going to some of these people’s counties so that they can appear,” Cheruiyot said.
His remarks come amid rising concern within the Senate over the reluctance by some governors to appear before oversight committees. CPAC plays a central role in reviewing reports from the Auditor General and ensuring counties properly account for public funds.
Sifuna now wants the Senate to move swiftly, urging the committee chairperson to table a motion that would allow lawmakers to impose sanctions, including withholding funds from non-compliant counties.
He warned that without decisive action, continued defiance by governors risks undermining devolution and eroding public trust in county governments.
