Governors defy summons from Senate for second time


NAIROBI, KENYA: Senators and Governors are headed for yet another supremacy battle after the county bosses defied invitation to appear before the Senate Committee over alleged mismanagement of funds.

Senate’s Finance Committee chair Billow Kerrow

Senate’s Finance Committee has now threatened to issue summons over the damning report released last week by the controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo.

The committee chair Billow Kerrow wants the Council of Governors to appear before it and shed light on the management and utilization of the funds sent to the Counties. This is after the governors failed to appear before the committee for the second consecutive time and has now prompted the senators to crack the whip.

“It will be foolhardy for anyone to think that the Senate does not have a role to play; that of oversight of public funds including those of county governments. We will be compelled to issue fresh summons for the governors to appear before this committee,” said Mr Kerrow.

The Billow Kerrow-led committee said failure by the council to appear before it is an act of impunity and a misguided attempt to resist accountability. “The council is a public funded State organ and it is required to submit individual quarterly reports to the Controller of Budget who is also mandated to report to Parliament over the same. Their failure to appear before this committee is an act of impunity and misguided attempt to resist accountability,” said Kerrow.

Article 125 of the Constitution states that ‘either House of Parliament or any of its committees has powers to summon any person to appear before it for the purposes of giving evidence or providing information.


At the same time, the senators said there is no political duel and the concern they are raising are purely on the prudent use of public funds.

“We are not in any political contest or supremacy battle, but we want the governors to respond to the queries that have been raised in the report,” said Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior.

The committee has also threatened to summon 10 governors and their relevant County Executive Officers to respond to specific queries raised by the Controller of Budget.

The counties whose governors will be summoned include Bomet, Bungoma, Nakuru, Kisumu, Wajir, Narok, Embu, Tana River, Kitui and Kiambu.

By RAWLINGS OTIENO, The Standard

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