The Council of Governors (CoG) has formally requested urgent engagement with the Senate over concerns regarding the operations and conduct of its oversight committees, with a particular focus on the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) and the County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee.
In a letter addressed to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, CoG said the request follows resolutions from a recent governors’ retreat themed “Re-positioning the Council to effectively respond to the prevailing political environment while strengthening service delivery across counties.” The retreat, according to the Council, aimed to review its performance, refine priorities for the remainder of the term, and strengthen institutional engagement, including with Parliament.
While reaffirming the Senate’s constitutional mandate to provide oversight and summon governors when necessary, the Council expressed concern that some oversight processes fall short of the intended constitutional purpose.
“While fully recognizing the Senate’s authority to summon governors and mindful of court rulings affirming these powers, we note that some committees do not reflect the constitutional intent and expectations for accountability and fairness,” said CoG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi.
The governors raised strong objections to the conduct of CPAC, accusing some senators of engaging in what they described as continuous extortion, political witch-hunts, harassment, intimidation, and humiliation during committee appearances.
“The Council of Governors is deeply concerned over the continuous and escalating harassment, intimidation, and humiliation of governors by certain senators during CPAC sessions,” Ahmed said. “Until these issues are addressed through structured dialogue with Senate leadership, governors will suspend all appearances before this committee.”
In addition to CPAC, concerns were raised over the County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee. The Council argued that governors are required to appear multiple times annually to discuss investment matters affecting counties, municipalities, and individual hospitals, a practice they say is unsustainable and hinders effective governance. The Council resolved that governors will appear only once per audit cycle before this committee to respond comprehensively to any queries.
“The repeated summonses to discuss investment issues, including county funds, municipal projects, and hospital allocations, place an undue burden on governors and detract from their ability to focus on service delivery,” Ahmed added.
CoG emphasized that the move is not an attempt to shirk accountability but to ensure that engagement with Senate committees is conducted in a structured, fair, and constitutional manner. The Council also reaffirmed its willingness to cooperate with Parliament to improve transparency and oversight practices.
The letter marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tension between the Senate and governors, highlighting the delicate balance between county autonomy and parliamentary oversight as the country prepares for the next electoral cycle.
