Judul : Senate to Question Kericho and Isiolo Governors Over PAC Hearing Snub
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Senate to Question Kericho and Isiolo Governors Over PAC Hearing Snub
The Senate's County Public Accounts Committee has sent official notices to Kericho Governor Eric Mutai and his Isiolo counterpart Abdi Guyo.
This occurred after the two failed to attend as scheduled on Friday, leading to strong protests from senators who described the behavior as "disrespectful, deceitful, and a breach of leadership duties."
The two governors were anticipated to attend CPAC in order to address audit-related questions for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
They contacted the committee requesting delays, with senators viewing the letters as rushed, unconvincing, and "a disrespect to Parliament."
The chair of the committee, Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, criticized the governors for what he called intentional efforts to hinder the committee's constitutionally scheduled tasks.
"It is disappointing that today, the two governors decided not to present themselves before this committee," Kajwang stated.
The governor of Kericho sent a letter received at 5:27am today, requesting a delay. We view this as disrespect towards Parliament.
Kajwang mentioned that Isiolo's Governor Guyo also sent a letter dated November 19 requesting a postponement of the meeting scheduled for November 21.
"We have informed counties that any request for a delay must be submitted seven days prior to the meeting. We provide a 14-day notice, so you can't, on the day of the meeting or the day before, claim you are not available," he stated.
The chair mentioned that the Auditor General's office and other supervisory bodies had already arrived in Nairobi for the hearings, resulting in costs, but the governors did not inform them beforehand.
He stated that the actions of the two governors were disrespectful and breached Article 73 regarding integrity in the performance of public responsibilities.
Kajwang stated that the committee had decided to use the "nuclear option" and force the two governors to attend via legal notice.
He emphasized that the Senate needs to meet the constitutional deadline in order to finish reviewing the 2023-24 reports by December 31, 2025.
"We will remain seated even during Christmas if necessary. We will issue summonses even on the 31st or on Boxing Day. We have a task to accomplish," he stated.
Kajwang also cautioned county assemblies that have recently been avoiding sessions regarding allegations of involvement in CASA games or travel activities.
"When we contact the county assemblies, we are not referring to the whole House. We anticipate the presence of the clerk, speaker, and board members. This justification will no longer be accepted moving forward," he stated.
In his correspondence, Governor Mutai stated that he was getting ready to welcome another set of senators to his county.
I formally ask to delay and reschedule the appearance planned for Friday, November 21, 2025, to a different date. This is due to an upcoming visit by the honorable senators to Kericho county for an oversight and engagement activity focusing on revenue management systems, infrastructure, IFMIS integration, and related challenges.
Mutai said the The visit will take place in his office in Kericho on the same day, he mentioned in a letter dated November 19, sent to the Senate clerk.
Mutai claimed that the alleged Senate group visiting Kericho prevented him from attending CPAC in Nairobi, a statement senators refuted as inaccurate.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei dismissed the justification, describing Mutai as "clever yet untrustworthy."
"He does not specify which committee is supposedly coming to Kericho. I am part of the ICT committee, and we had absolutely no intention of visiting Kericho today," Cherargei stated.
He had sufficient time to get ready, but instead opted for tricks and justifications.
Cherargei stated that Mutai's actions supported previous efforts to remove him from office.
"I cast my vote to remove this governor in both previous efforts. This strengthens my conviction that he is unfit to lead Kericho," he stated, additionally suggesting that the governor should be fined to cover costs incurred by the Auditor General's office.
From his side, Guyo, through the county secretary, stated: "We would like to inform you that His Excellency, the governor, will not be available on the specified date because of unavoidable obligations. Considering this, we respectfully ask the committee to think about moving the meeting to a different date so he can attend in person as needed."
It states: "We would like to further assure the committee that, despite the request for scheduling, all responses, explanations, and supporting documents related to the Auditor General's reports have been gathered and will be provided for your review. We are dedicated to maintaining transparency and responsibility."
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi characterized the governors' actions as "the greatest expression of disrespect," specifically highlighting Mutai, who narrowly escaped a second impeachment effort.
"He is presenting weak reasons for hosting governors. He needs to be called in as soon as possible, and this should act as a warning," Osotsi stated.
He cautioned that governors need to cease the practice of "writing last-minute love letters" to request extensions.
"If a governor is unable to attend, there must be a valid reason," he stated.
Deputy Chairperson Johnes Mwarume supported the summons, stating that the Senate needs to take firm action to safeguard the integrity of oversight.
Kajwang informed members that both Kericho and Isiolo had previously been before the Senate during impeachment procedures, but the cases were halted due to procedural issues.
"When legislative bodies propose motions to remove governors, it indicates a lack of proper functioning. It is our responsibility to address these matters and bring about unity between the legislative bodies and the executive branch," he stated.
The committee decided that any upcoming requests for delays need to be submitted seven days ahead of time and must be well-founded, noting that not following this rule would result in a summons being issued automatically.
If the summons is disregarded, senators cautioned that the following action would involve applying the law to force the Inspector General of Police to bring the governors before the Senate.
Mutai from Kericho and Guyo from Isiolo must now present themselves before CPAC on dates yet to be announced.by the Secretary of the Senate.
Kajwang mentioned that the committee would meet to decide on suitable dates to call the two individuals.
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