Sakaja Appears in Senate After Arrest Attempt

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja appeared before the Senate on Tuesday, March 31, barely a day after his attempted arrest.

The governor arrived at Parliament buildings minutes past 1 p.m., unaccompanied, in a low-key appearance.

Details of his engagement with senators were not immediately disclosed, leaving questions about the nature and outcome of the meeting.

On Friday, March 27, the Senate County Public Accounts Committee imposed a Ksh500,000 fine on Sakaja and directed that he be arrested for contempt of Parliament.

The committee instructed the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to apprehend the governor and produce him before the panel on Monday, March 30.

 The decision followed a finding that Sakaja had repeatedly ignored summons requiring his appearance.

Despite being invited on three separate occasions, the governor did not present himself before the committee, leading to formal summons being issued. 

"The IG must arrest and present the Governor before the Committee on Monday, March 30. The time of presenting him shall be communicated," Senator Moses Kajwang said while announcing the committee’s resolution.

Late Monday, March 30, Sakaja addressed the move by the Inspector General of Police to have him arrested, describing the decision as unwarranted and unnecessary. 

In a statement, he argued that the arrest directive fails to take into account an ongoing dispute between the Council of Governors and the Senate of Kenya.

"The issue at hand is not a personal matter concerning Governor Sakaja Johnson, but one that is being handled collectively by the Council of Governors," the statement read.

Sakaja justified his absence by pointing to guidance from the Council of Governors, which had advised its members to boycott appearances before the Senate committee until wider concerns were addressed.

At the same time, he highlighted his past cooperation with the Senate, noting that he has appeared before several committees, including the Lands and Environment Committee, as recently as last week, and has regularly engaged the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) on audit matters dating back to 2015.

"It is therefore misleading to single out one Governor in a matter that is collective and consultative in nature," the statement added.

Sakaja also took issue with how the attempted arrest was carried out, questioning both the timing and the need for such action.

He stated that he had been present in his office throughout the day and remained reachable through official communication channels.

"There is no justification for creating unnecessary drama or a show of force at night," the statement further read.