Governors must honor Senate CPAC summons as allegations of extortion are probed
February 16, 2026 – Nairobi, Kenya
Okoa Uchumi Campaign and the National Integrity Alliance (NIA) express profound concern over the recent allegations by the Council of Governors (CoG) that the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) and the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPIC) are engaging in political witch-hunts, extortion, and harassment of governors summoned to appear before them. The CoG consequently resolved that governors would suspend appearances before CPAC until concerns raised are adequately addressed. The council also demanded the reconstitution of CPAC, citing alleged misconduct by four of its members.
These allegations raised by the CoG though quite egregious are not new and raise very serious concerns on the conduct of State Officers contrary to the Constitution of Kenya (2010) under Chapter Six on Leadership and Integrity. By their own admission, Governors have in some of these instances paid the bribes allegedly sought from them but are aggrieved at the lack of reciprocal action from the Senators. This unholy alliance of bribery to defeat the cause of justice and accountability on use of public funds is not lost on Kenyans.
Evasion of constitutionally mandated accountability
The CoG’s resolution to boycott appearances before CPAC signals a troubling trend: an attempt to evade constitutionally mandated accountability. Under Articles 96 and 125 respectively, the Senate has the authority to exercise oversight over national revenue allocated to county governments and to summon any person to appear before it. These provisions are not discretionary courtesies extended to governors but rather are binding constitutional obligations, the boycott of which would undermine the rule of law and constitutional principles that all State Officers are accountable for lawful and prudent use of public resources. This does not however, mean that allegations of misconduct should be ignored. They must be independently investigated but cannot be used as a means to justify the avoidance of oversight, as in this instance.
The misuse of public funds has been consistently highlighted by the Office of the Auditor General and many Kenyans carrying out their civic duty of social accountability. Oversight from the County Assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate has in many instances been absent and/or cosmetic, resulting in very little success in curtailing pilferage of public resources. Many Kenyans continue to suffer at the hands of this unholy alliance of unaccountability and abuse of process.
