Governors’ boycott: Senators threaten to block allocation

Senators have threatened to stall enhanced county funding if governors continue to ignore summons to appear before them and account for the billions they manage.

In a statement, the lawmakers said they will not approve additional funding for the devolved units if county leaders continue to evade accountability.

“The governors cannot run away from accountability yet expect the Senate to increase their allocations in July,” Senate County Public Accounts Committee chairman Moses Kajwang’ said.

Kajwang spoke on Thursday after a boycott of his committee by county governors.

The governors are seeking Parliament to allocate the counties Sh534.96 billion in the next financial year, up from the current Sh415 billion.

Kajwang described the governors’ repeated absences as “mischievous,” particularly when committee proceedings are broadcast live on social media and attended by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

“The Senate considers the decision by governors to continue boycotting their appearance before oversight committees as contempt of the entire House,” Kajwang said.

“They should not expect the Senate to support more allocations given the contempt they are showing,” he added.

Since the advent of devolution, senators have pushed for enhanced allocations to counties, often rejecting what they call meagre allocations by the National Treasury and the National Assembly.

In the current financial year, for instance, senators rejected an allocation of Sh405 billion, prompting mediation that increased funding to Sh415 billion. In the previous year, a standoff with the National Assembly led to an increase of at least Sh2 billion in county allocations.

Addressing journalists at Parliament Buildings, Kajwang said the committee had aimed to complete its scrutiny of county expenditures by March 16.

However, the missed appearances mean additional time will be required to meet the March 31 deadline.

“They must be aware that they are accountable for the Sh415 billion allocated to them in this financial year,” Kajwang said.

He emphasised that the Senate cannot be dictated to by the Council of Governors on how to conduct its business, noting that the constitution remains fully in force.

While governors plan to meet Senate leadership next week, Kajwang said the law governs the process.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the Senate is united in ensuring county administrations are held accountable for billions of shillings allocated to them.

In recent weeks, CPAC has questioned several governors over audit queries for the 2024-25 financial year, highlighting what appears to be irregular expenditure across several counties.

“The governors are embarrassing themselves,” Sifuna said.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said appearing before the Senate is not a privilege but a constitutional obligation.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua said CPAC will proceed to adopt the reports already presented and warned that governors should not assume that avoiding appearances will allow them to escape accountability.

“Just as they expect us to champion increased funding to counties, they should be willing to be accountable when billions are allocated to them,” Wambua said.