Governors Vow To Appear In All Committees Except CPAC

By Suleiman Mbatiah

Governors now say they will appear before all Senate committees except the County Public Accounts Committee, citing unresolved claims of harassment and abuse of office against some members of the watchdog panel.

In a letter issued today and addressed to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, the Council of Governors said the decision was reached during an extraordinary meeting held the same day.

The council said its members remain ready to engage the Senate on matters affecting counties, but would not honour summons by the County Public Accounts Committee until concerns previously raised are addressed.

“We wish to communicate that the Excellency Governors will appear before all the Committees of the Senate of Kenya to deliberate on matters of common interest to the counties EXCEPT the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC),” the letter states.

The council said it had formally raised serious concerns about the conduct of certain CPAC members, including allegations of extortion, intimidation, political witch-hunt and harassment.

“Regrettably, these concerns remain unaddressed,” the governors wrote, adding that the conduct in question had persisted and included attacks on governors on the floor of the House.

The letter argues that such actions demonstrate disregard for the institutional and functional integrity of county governments and undermine the dignity and standing of the Senate as an oversight House.

The council urged the Senate leadership to urgently intervene and resolve the complaints against the committee members to restore working relations.

“We believe this will restore the working relationship between the Governors and the Committee in furtherance of the constitutional functions of the Senate and County Governments,” the letter states.

The standoff follows correspondence from the Senate dated February 25 communicating the deferment of a scheduled engagement between the two leaderships.

While reaffirming commitment to accountability and prudent use of public resources, the governors stressed that oversight must be exercised within the law.

“We wish to further reiterate our unwavering commitment to accountability and prudent use of public resources but emphasise that oversight should be exercised lawfully, ethically and devoid of abuse of office,” the council said.

The County Public Accounts Committee is mandated to examine audit reports on county governments and ensure public funds are properly accounted for.

The latest development signals fresh tension between the Senate and county chiefs, raising questions about how ongoing and future accountability hearings will proceed if the impasse persists.