Sakaja seeks delay of his Senate appearance

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has written to the Senate seeking the rescheduling of his planned appearance before the County Public Accounts Committee.

In a letter dated February 13, 2026, and addressed to Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye, Sakaja cited ongoing developments around governors’ appearances before the committee and an upcoming consultative meeting involving Senate leadership and the Council of Governors.

Wanyonyi to reignite rivalry with Arop, Sedjati in Oslo Athletics

KSSSA Nyanza region to roll out digital player verification to curb cheating Sports

“We refer to the forthcoming engagements with the Senate Public Accounts Committee. In view of the prevailing circumstances regarding governors’ appearances before the committee and taking into account the meeting scheduled for February 26 between the Speaker of the Senate and the Council of Governors, I respectfully request that the committee considers rescheduling the meeting to a later date,” Sakaja said.

The governor at the same time reaffirmed his support for the Senate’s constitutional oversight mandate.

“I wish to reaffirm my continued commitment in support of the Senate’s oversight role and greatly value its indispensable function in safeguarding devolution and in protecting the interests of county governments,” Sakaja stated.

The County Public Accounts Committee plays a key role in examining how county governments utilise public funds as part of the Senate’s oversight function.

This follows a standoff that erupted between county governors and senators over accountability for billions of shillings disbursed to devolved units.

The governors threatened to boycott Senate oversight sessions, accusing lawmakers of intimidation and political witch-hunts.

The row pits the Council of Governors (CoG) against the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), which has in recent weeks intensified scrutiny of county expenditure following audit reports by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu.

Governors claim that appearances before the Senate committee have increasingly turned hostile, humiliating, and politically charged, rather than constructive engagements aimed at improving public finance management.

He said the Senate oversight process had become punitive.

As a result, the governors resolved that they would not appear before CPAC to respond to audit queries until their concerns are addressed through what they termed “structured engagement” between Senate leadership and the council.

“To this effect, the council has resolved that governors will not appear before the CPAC committee until these concerns are addressed,” Abdullahi said.

The Senate, however, dismissed the claims, accusing governors of attempting to evade scrutiny and undermine constitutional oversight.

In a swift rejoinder, CPAC chairperson Moses Kajwang’ accused county bosses of trying to bully the Senate and dictate how oversight should be conducted.

“They want to choose who sits in committees, when they should appear and how they should be questioned. I have never seen a case where suspects demand to empanel the bench,” Kajwang’ said.

He argued that the criticism directed at his committee comes at a time when serious allegations of misuse and theft of public funds have emerged from recent audit and media reports.

“Kenyans are not foolish. They have seen the plunder in counties and can tell that governors are attempting to intimidate the Senate to stop asking hard questions,” Kajwang’ said.

Citing Articles 125 and 229 of the Constitution, Kajwang’ said the Senate has a clear mandate to consider the reports of the Auditor-General and summon any person to provide evidence.