NAIROBI, Kenya — County governors have threatened to boycott key Senate oversight committees, accusing some senators of extortion, harassment, and political witch-hunts during audit hearings.
The Council of Governors (CoG) announced the decision on Monday during an ongoing Governors’ Retreat, saying the conduct of certain Senate committees had become “hostile, punitive and degrading”.
In a statement, the CoG cited what it described as continuous and escalating extortion, intimidation, and humiliation of governors summoned before Senate committees.
“The Council of Governors has raised concern over the conduct of certain Senate Committees, citing cases of continuous and escalating extortion, political witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation, and humiliation of Governors during oversight engagements,” the statement said.
Boycott Resolution
Governors resolved that they will no longer appear before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) until the concerns are formally addressed through structured engagement with Senate leadership.
They further agreed to limit their appearances before the Senate Public Investments Committee to once per audit cycle, arguing that repeated summons disrupt county operations and undermine orderly oversight.
The governors said the move is intended to protect the integrity of oversight while preventing what they described as abuse of the process for political or personal gain.
Oversight Tensions
The standoff escalates long-standing tension between county governments and the Senate, which is constitutionally mandated under Article 96 of the Constitution to oversee counties and protect their interests.
Governors have repeatedly complained that some oversight hearings have turned into adversarial forums rather than accountability mechanisms, while senators have defended their role as essential to safeguarding public funds.
The Senate County Public Accounts Committee examines reports from the Auditor-General on county expenditure, while the Public Investments Committee reviews the management of county-owned entities.
Constitutional Questions
Article 226 requires accountability for public funds, while Article 185 assigns county assemblies a primary oversight role at the county level, creating an overlap that has frequently sparked institutional friction.
Next Steps
The Council of Governors said it is seeking dialogue with Senate leadership to resolve the dispute and restore what it called “mutual respect and professionalism” in intergovernmental relations.
The Senate leadership had not publicly responded to the accusations by the time of publication.
