Senators give Governors 30 days to honour summons or face EACC, DCI

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has issued a 30-day ultimatum to all Governors to appear before Senate committees or face investigations by State agencies.

Speaking in Kipkelion East, Cheruiyot warned that Governors who ignore summons to account for public funds should resign.

He said defiant Governors will be referred to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), signalling coordinated enforcement.

“Accountability is non-negotiable and I want to tell the Council of Governors that those Governors who refused to come to the Senate, the law will take its course,” he said.

Cheruiyot stressed that public office demands transparency, and leaders must account for every cent or vacate their positions.

“Yesterday I saw the CoG chairperson, the Wajir Governor, saying ati governors have decided…summons are constituted in the law,” he added.

The scuffle outside Parliament on Wednesday exposed a downturn in the relationship between Senators and Governors, with oversight and accountability being threatened.

This is after a dramatic incident at the Senate where Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit was manhandled by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, his Migori County counterpart Eddy Oketch, Kiambu County Senator Karungo wa Thang'wa, among other lawmakers for allegedly refusing to honour a summons.

Samburu residents on Thursday took to the streets expressing anger over how their Governor was manhandled as he left the precincts of Parliament.

Governors have insisted that they will not heed Senate summons to appear before oversight committees unless their list of grievances is addressed.

They have reported to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi what they termed as an extortion racket in the County Public Accounts Committee, claiming the push for Governors to appear is driven by demands for bribes, a claim that Senators have dismissed.