The Senate has responded to allegations raised by the Council of Governors (CoG), dismissing claims of extortion, harassment and intimidation involving Senate committees as unsubstantiated and inappropriate.
In a statement on Tuesday, February 10, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi said the accusations threaten constitutional oversight and undermine accountability in the use of public funds by county governments.
"The Senate of the Republic of Kenya has noted with concern allegations contained in a press statement issued by the Council of Governors (CoG), and subsequently reported in the media, regarding the operations of Senate Committees-specifically the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) and the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPIC)," the statement read.
Kingi expressed concern over the CoG’s call to reconstitute one of the committees, stating that the claims were made without naming those involved or providing evidence.
"The Senate further notes, with grave concern, the purported demand by the Council of Governors for the reconstitution of the County Public Accounts Committee, on the basis of claims of political witch-hunts, harassment, extortion and intimidation allegedly involving four unnamed Members of the Committee," the statement added.
Read More
Kingi also addressed the CoG’s decision to suspend appearances before one committee and restrict engagements with another, warning that such actions could stall constitutional timelines.
"Additionally, the Senate is cognizant of the position taken by the Council of Governors to suspend appearances before the County Public Accounts Committee until structured engagement is held between its leadership and that of the Senate, and to limit appearances before the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee to once per audit eyele," the statement continued.
Kingi noted that audit committees operate under strict constitutional deadlines that cannot be ignored or delayed, adding that the Senate would continue to exercise oversight over county funds without fear or favour.
"In executing this mandate, Senate audit committees are guided by Article 229 of the Constitution, which requires Parliament to consider and dispose of audit reports within three months of their receipt from the Auditor-General by 31st March of each year. Compliance with this constitutional timeline is not optional, and any actions that impede the audit process undermine accountability and prudent use of public resources.
"The Senate remains committed to fulfilling its constitutional mandate and ensuring that oversight over public funds allocated to county governments remains robust, objective and timely," the statement further read.
Further, Kingi said there were proper mechanisms for addressing grievances against Senate committees, should governors have legitimate concerns.
"Should the Council of Governors have concerns regarding the conduct or operations of Senate Committees, established and legitimate institutional channels exist through which such concerns may be formally raised and addressed," the statement noted.
While affirming openness to dialogue, the Senate Speaker cautioned against airing allegations publicly without proof.
"While the Senate remains open to structured and constructive dialogue with devolution actors, recourse to public mudslinging and unsubstantiated allegations in the media, unsupported by evidence, is neither appropriate nor conducive to intergovernmental cooperation," the statement concluded.
This comes barely a day after the CoG announced the suspension of engagements with the CPAC and CPIC committees.
In a press release on Monday, February 9, the CoG said appearances before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee have increasingly been marked by alleged extortion, intimidation, and humiliation.
"The Council of Governors notes with great concern the continuous and escalating extortion, political witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation and humiliation of Excellency Governors by certain Senators when they appear before the County Public Accounts Committee," the statement read.
As a result, the council said governors will no longer appear before CPAC until the matter is resolved through formal talks between the two institutions.
"To this effect, the Council has resolved that Governors will not appear before the CPAC committee until these concerns are addressed through a structured engagement between the leadership of the Senate and the Council of Governors," the statement added.
Separately, the CoG took issue with repeated summons by the Senate County Public Investment Committee, saying governors are often required to appear multiple times within the same audit cycle to discuss similar investment-related issues.
To address this, the governors resolved to limit their appearances before the investment committee to a single session per audit cycle.
"We note with concern that Governors are required to appear several times before this committee to discuss investment issues, including various funds in the Counties, municipalities, and Individual hospitals.
"In this regard, Governors have therefore resolved that they will only appear once for every audit cycle," the statement further read.
-1770180623.png)
