Inside Senate’s five-point strategy to nail rogue governors

Senators have unveiled a five-point strategy aimed at reining in rogue governors and compelling them to account for billions of shillings entrusted to their counties.

At the heart of the plan is a push to increase fines for evasive governors, enforce arrests, require clearance before funds are released and deny non-compliant counties access to public funds.

The lawmakers are also pushing investigative agencies to take action against errant county bosses.

“Certain county governors have repeatedly failed to honour invitations and summons issued by County Public Accounts Committee to appear and respond to matters relating to financial management, accountability, and the use of public resources allocated to their counties,” Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said.

Cheruiyot said such defiance contravenes the Constitution and the statutory duty to account for public funds, undermining the Senate’s constitutional oversight mandate.

He noted that ignoring Senate summons sets a dangerous precedent that erodes transparency, accountability, and respect for constitutional institutions.

“If you choose to waive the right to appear, it means you agree with the Auditor-General’s findings. The next step is to direct the EACC to recover the money and the DCI to arrest those who have misappropriated public resources, then move on to the next financial year.”

To strengthen oversight, senators are pushing for amendments to several laws, including the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act and the Public Audit Act.

Among the proposals is an increase in fines for non-compliant officers from Sh500,000 to Sh5 million.

Lawmakers also want a dedicated police unit tasked with arresting governors or any officials who defy parliamentary summons.

“If we do not intervene, these governors are developing a habit of looking us in the eye and telling us that corruption is acceptable, as long as they can buy their way out or influence senators,” Migori Senator Eddy Oketch said.

Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana proposed that rogue governors be detained in police cells in Parliament until they pay the Sh5 million fine.

“If we make this pain felt directly by these governors, we can stop the drainage of public funds,” he said.

Narok Senator Ledama Olekina called for an amendment to Section 19 of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act.

“Currently, penalties are about Sh500,000. We want to increase them to Sh5 million and include up to five years in prison,” he said.

Further, senators are considering changes to the Public Audit Act requiring counties to secure mandatory clearance from the Clerk of the Senate before any funds can be released by the Controller of Budget.

“Accountability is non-negotiable. Governors must be accountable,” Senate County Public Accounts Committee chairman Moses Kajwang’ said.

The move comes amid rising tensions between governors and Senate watchdog committees, with some county bosses boycotting hearings citing harassment, intimidation and political witch hunts.

Senators argue that such defiance undermines oversight of public funds and puts taxpayers’ money at risk of mismanagement.

“Some county bosses have repeatedly failed to honour invitations, contravening their constitutional and statutory duty to account for funds allocated to their counties,” Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said.

Under the new plan, the Senate intends to formalise the process so that the CoB relies on a letter from the Clerk of the Senate confirming whether a governor or accounting officer has complied with committee summons before funds are released.

The five-point strategy signals the Senate’s determination to hold county leaders accountable and curb the growing culture of impunity that threatens public resource management.