Sakaja appears before the Senate, ends police hunt

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Tuesday presented himself before the Senate leadership and members of a watchdog committee, in a move that ended a police hunt for him.

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Sakaja said his decision to personally drive to Parliament was meant to demonstrate his willingness to engage with House committees, even as he called for an amicable resolution of the ongoing standoff between the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Senate.

“I came to the Senate to meet the leadership and members of the committee. First, I am a law-abiding citizen,” Sakaja said. “I have appeared before these committees many times; six times this year alone and about 10 times last year. I have even responded to audit queries dating back to 2015, including those from my predecessors.”

Sakaja, however, maintained that his earlier failure to appear before the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) was in line with a directive from the Council of Governors, which raised concerns over alleged intimidation and extortion involving some members of the committee.

“When the CoG raised issues regarding that specific committee, we were guided that those concerns be resolved first. Accountability is important, but it must be undertaken in the right way,” he said.

The Governor noted that the dispute is not unique to Nairobi, revealing that 29 governors had been summoned before the same committee, with most failing to appear, while those who attended declined to prosecute substantive matters in solidarity with the CoG position.

Sakaja said he had engaged both Senate and CoG leadership in efforts to de-escalate the situation and find a lasting solution.

“I have spoken to the Speaker of the Senate, the Chair of the Council of Governors, and my fellow governors. We need to resolve these issues so that we can be held accountable as required by the Senate,” he said.

He criticised attempts to single him out, terming the developments surrounding his case as exaggerated.

“It is wrong to single out one county or one governor. The drama we are seeing is not fair. The CoG is an institution just like the Senate, let the two institutions resolve the matter collectively,” Sakaja added.

The Governor reiterated his commitment to accountability, stating that he remains ready to appear before the committee once the underlying issues between the two institutions are addressed.

“I have appeared before the committee before, and I will continue to do so. All we want is for the issues between the CoG and the Senate to be resolved,” he said.

He also dismissed suggestions that he was evading accountability, noting that he had been available and had nothing to hide.

“Who is in the office at 7 pm? They were looking for me, yet I am here at the Senate as required. I have no problem with the Senate. There is just an issue that needs to be resolved. I have nothing to run away from,” he said.

The developments come after police officers reportedly camped at City Hall in a bid to arrest the Governor for failing to appear before the CPAC, which was chaired by Moses Kajwang.