Governors name 4 senators they accuse of extortion and harassment
The Council of Governors (CoG) has named four Senators it accuses of extortion, intimidation, and political harassment during oversight sessions.
The Council of Governors (CoG) has named four Senators it accuses of extortion, intimidation, and political harassment during oversight sessions.
In a statement on Wednesday, February 11, the council cited the constitution, which establish and protect the devolved system of governance and require cooperation and mutual respect between the national and county governments.
The governors acknowledged that under Article 96, the Senate has the constitutional mandate to represent county interests and oversee national revenue allocated to counties.
However, the council said that while it respects the Senate’s oversight role and the court’s ruling, the manner in which CPAC proceedings have been conducted falls short of constitutional standards.
The governors raised concerns over what they described as persistent cases of extortion, political witch-hunts, intimidation, and harassment during appearances before the committee.
The four Senators named in the statement are Moses Kajwang of Homa Bay, Edwin Sifuna (Nairobi), Samson Cherargei (Nandi), and Johnes Mwaruma (Taita Taveta).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Senators have been consistently cited as being notorious in these practices,” the resolution read.
As part of its resolutions, the CoG directed that governors will, with immediate effect, stop appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee until the issues raised are conclusively addressed.
The governors further demanded the removal of the four named Senators from the affected committees as a condition for restoring confidence, integrity, and fairness in the oversight process.
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In addition, the council called for an urgent structured engagement forum between the leadership of the Senate and the Council of Governors.
The proposed forum would seek to agree on clear and transparent modalities for governors’ appearances and establish safeguards against harassment, extortion, and political persecution.
“The Council of Governors reaffirms its unwavering commitment to accountability and prudent use of public resources, but emphasizes that oversight must be exercised lawfully, ethically, and without abuse of office,” the resolution added.
This development comes a day after the Senate responded to allegations raised by the 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.
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