Governor Bii backs CoG decision to suspend Senate appearances

Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii has backed a decision by the Council of Governors to boycott Senate summons over allegations of bribery, extortion and political witch-hunt.

Bii said governors have long faced harassment before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, claiming some members demanded bribes.

“We have now reached a stage where, as governors, we want this matter sorted out so that each of us can play our roles as per the law,” Bii said in Eldoret.

He questioned the alleged demands, arguing that audit outcomes would remain unchanged regardless of any payments.

“So as governors, we want to know what the money we are being forced to give out is for,” he said.

Bii claimed governors who refuse to comply are openly harassed and intimidated during televised committee sessions, undermining the credibility of Senate oversight.

The standoff escalated on Monday after CoG formally identified four senators it accuses of harassment and intimidation during oversight proceedings.

In a resolution signed by 41 governors and submitted to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, the council said the four legislators had been “consistently cited” in complaints regarding the conduct of CPAC sessions, which county chiefs described as marked by political witch-hunts, extortion and intimidation.

The governors are demanding the removal of the senators from the affected committees as a condition for restoring confidence in the oversight process.

They have also suspended appearances before CPAC and resolved to limit attendance before the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPIC) to once per audit cycle until their concerns are addressed.

“As requested in our earlier correspondence, we request an urgent engagement with the leadership of the Senate at the earliest opportunity,” the CoG chairperson said in a letter to the Speaker.

“We reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending devolution and good governance as espoused in our Constitution.”

Bii said he supports dialogue to resolve the dispute amicably.

“We all serve the same country from our positions, and we should take our work seriously as per the law,” he said.

However, senators have dismissed the allegations, insisting that accountability cannot be negotiated.

Speaker Kingi rejected the governors’ move to suspend appearances, warning that any action undermining scrutiny of county spending threatens accountability and devolution.

In a statement dated February 10, Kingi said he had taken note “with grave concern” of the allegations but maintained that the Senate’s oversight role is constitutionally anchored under Article 96.

“The Senate wishes to reiterate that its oversight role over county governments is firmly anchored in the Constitution,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harun Cheruiyot said appearance before Senate committee is a constitutional obligation.

“It is not a privilege to be waived at will, particularly when there are serious accountability matters at stake across the country. We can discuss any matter as a going concern, never as a threat to non-appearance,” he said.

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’, who chairs CPAC, termed the allegations false and diversionary.