Senators confront Governor Lelelit at Parliament

Drama unfolded outside the Senate gates on Wednesday after a group of senators attempted to arrest and hand over Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit to parliamentary police.

The incident triggered a chaotic confrontation that briefly disrupted activities in Parliament.

The governor had visited Parliament seeking an audience with Senate leadership following an arrest warrant issued by the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) over his failure to appear before it.

However, his attempt to meet the leadership did not materialise, forcing him to leave the precincts.

Moments later, Lelelit addressed journalists outside Parliament, explaining his absence from the committee proceedings.

But his press briefing was abruptly interrupted when a group of senators, led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, moved out of the gates and confronted him.

“Governor, don’t speak outside. It is us you came to see. Come inside,” Sifuna told him.

A brief standoff ensued as the governor questioned the directive.

The situation quickly escalated when the senators attempted to escort him back into Parliament, allegedly to hand him over to the authorities.

Realising what was unfolding, the governor resisted and broke free, crossing to the opposite side of Parliament Road.

More senators joined the confrontation, resulting in a heated exchange that saw the governor’s security detail engage with lawmakers in a tense standoff, turning the usually orderly parliamentary precincts into a scene of confusion and shouting.

Before the incident, Lelelit had defended his failure to appear before CPAC, saying he had been scheduled to appear before two different Senate committees at the same time.

“On March 26, I was invited to appear before the CPIC committee at 10am and CPAC at 9am on the same day. It is not humanly possible to appear before two committees at the same time,” he said.

He further claimed that he had not been formally served with any arrest warrant, insisting he only learnt of the move through social media reports.

“I am here because two days ago, I got information circulating on social media that someone was seeking to arrest me. I was shocked because I had not been invited to the Senate on that day. No warrant was served to me,” he said.

The governor added that his case was being misunderstood, maintaining that he had not deliberately snubbed the Senate.

“I learnt about the alleged arrest in the evening when I got to a place with network coverage. The whole day I had been in an area without internet access,” he explained.

The confrontation outside Parliament spilled into the chamber, where senators expressed outrage over what they termed increasing defiance by governors summoned to account for public funds.

The tension prompted Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei to interrupt proceedings and question the propriety of continuing debate on the Division of Revenue Bill, 2026, a critical piece of legislation that determines how nationally raised revenue is shared between the national and county governments.

“We need your guidance, Mr Speaker. Is it in order for this House to proceed with allocating resources to governors who have failed and shown impunity in accounting for public funds?” Cherargei posed.

He warned that passing the Bill under such circumstances would amount to endorsing corruption and impunity at the county level.

“If we proceed, we shall be complicit in allowing governors to misuse public resources without accountability,” he added.

Several senators supported his position, calling for the suspension of the Bill until governors comply with accountability requirements and respond to Senate summonses.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, who had accompanied Sifuna outside during the confrontation, criticised the governor’s conduct.

“It is a shame what is happening within the precincts of Parliament. The Governor of Samburu has the audacity to convene the media here to speak against senators instead of appearing before the committee,” Wambua said.

Faced with mounting pressure from lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot opted to defer debate on the Division of Revenue Bill.

“In light of the concerns raised, this is a serious matter that calls for introspection. This is not about one or two governors, but the broader question of respect for constitutional oversight,” Cheruiyot said.

“If proceeding with this Bill undermines our collective stand on accountability and adherence to the rule of law, then I defer to the wisdom of the House and request that the debate be postponed,” he added.