NAIROBI, Kenya — Thursday, February 12, 2026 — Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has told the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee that the National Police Service is prepared to arrest and present county governors who ignore or refuse to honour parliamentary summons.
The move reflects deepening tensions between the Senate and the Council of Governors (CoG) over accountability and oversight of county finances.
Appearing before the Senate committee chaired by Senator Moses Kajwang’, IG Kanja said the police will act where directed by the Senate to ensure that governors comply with constitutional requirements to respond to oversight queries on the management of county resources.
He emphasised that failure to appear before the CPAC or similar oversight bodies amounts to a violation of the Constitution, giving legal ground for enforcement.
“The Constitution provides for us to work very closely with the Senate to ensure accountability in county governments,” Kanja said.
“In instances where the governors fail to comply with summons, the service is always ready, under the instructions of the committee, to arrest them and present them here as requested.”
Kanja also assured senators that the police would actively assist in investigations and pursue legal action against any governor found to have misused public funds, stressing that governance issues have nationwide impact and demand collective action.
IG KANJA ENGAGES COUNTY PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE TO STRENGTHEN OVERSIGHT AND COLLABORATIONThe Inspector General of the National Police Service (NPS), Mr Douglas Kanja, today met with the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), chaired by the Hon. Moses Otieno Kajwang’, at
Standoff Between Senate and Governors
The IG’s remarks come amid a rising standoff between the Senate and the Council of Governors, which recently passed a resolution on February 11 directing county executives to boycott appearances before the CPAC and similar Senate committees.
In their resolution, governors accused some senators of harassment, intimidation and extortion during oversight hearings and demanded the removal of four senators allegedly implicated in such conduct.
The governors also called for structured engagement between the Senate leadership and the CoG to establish what they described as more respectful and transparent procedures for appearances before parliamentary committees.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has rejected the boycott resolution as unconstitutional, insisting that the Senate’s mandate to oversee the use of public funds in county governments is protected by the Constitution and cannot be suspended by any external directive.
Kingi has invited CoG leadership to a February 26 meeting to discuss the matter but warned that governors must honour committee summonses in the meantime, or face legal consequences.
CPAC members, including Senators Samson Cherargei, Edwin Sifuna and Johnes Mwaruma, have also dismissed allegations of intimidation, reiterating that the oversight role must continue and that accountability for county resources is non‑negotiable.
The constitutional basis for compelling attendance before parliamentary committees is rooted in Article 125, which grants Parliament powers similar to those of the High Court, including the ability to summon witnesses, compel production of documents and enforce attendance when necessary.
Governors had warned of not attending the oversight committees over alleged extortion by Senators.
