Senate asks Police IG to arrest Governor Guyo for failing to obey Committee summons

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has asked Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to arrest and present Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo before respective House committees where he has failed to honour summons.

In a notice to the Senate on Tuesday, the Speaker highlighted more than six times the county boss had ignored Senate summons with no apologies, calling for the intervention of the police IG to compel the governor to obey the law.

Senator Kingi cited the constitutional requirements for all public officers to heed calls by the Senate as an oversight body, understating that it was mandatory for holders of public office to honour the summons for purposes of accountability to the people.

He likened the ignorance of summons by the governor as 'undermining the rule of law' thus calling for an urgent response from the IG.

"Honourable Senators, from the foregoing we may observe that under Article 125 of the Constitution as read together with section 18(1) of the Powers and Privileges Act, Parliament and its Committees have the power to summon any person to appear before it for the purpose of giving evidence or any information. In this respect, Parliament has the same powers as the High Court to enforce the attendance of witnesses and examine them on oath, affirmation or otherwise," Kingi stated.

"This conduct by the Governor not only undermines the rule of law but obstructs the Senate from discharging its role as the protector of counties under Article 96(1) of the Constitution and the primary organ of oversight on the use of public funds by county governments under Article 96(3) of the Constitution."

He added, "Honourable Senators, in light of this I therefore guide that all Committees which had issued summons to the Governor of Isiolo to appear before the Committees and in which the Governor failed to appear, as a matter of urgency, liaise with the Inspector-General of Police and require him to produce the Governor before the respective Committee at a determined date and time."

According to Kingi, Governor Guyo has disregarded several invitations by Senate Committees leading to the summons which he similarly dishonoured.

Among the summons include summon by; County Public Accounts Committee in April this year, Standing Committees on Labour and Social Welfare and Finance and Budget, Standing Committees on Health in May, National Cohesion, Equal Opportunities and Regional Integration and Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations.

In justifying the arrest of the governor, Kingi cited the Senate's role in oversight which, similar to the High Court, has the power to summon and push for apprehension of a public officer who does not obey the law.

"It is not in doubt that the Senate is conferred with the powers to summon any person to appear before it to give evidence or to provide information, within its Constitutional and statutory mandate. The powers to summon by the Committees are equivalent to those of the High Court..."Kingi noted.