The Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has warned that it may recommend the suspension of funding to counties whose governors repeatedly ignore parliamentary summons to account for the use of public funds.
In a statement issued on Monday, January 27, the committee said the move was prompted by the failure of Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit, Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir to appear before CPAC during sittings held this month.
According to the committee, Governor Nassir did not provide any explanation for his absence, while Governor Lelelit opted to attend a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) function.
Governor Guyo, on the other hand, cited insecurity in Isiolo County as the reason for failing to honour the summons.
CPAC noted that Article 225 of the Constitution grants Parliament the authority to stop the disbursement of funds to county governments where misuse of public resources has been established.
Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ said the law further allows Parliament to suspend the release of funds to counties for up to 30 days, subject to concurrence by the National Assembly.
“In 2025, the Senate passed a resolution to halt disbursements to several counties whose governors had failed to account for public funds. However, the Constitutional Court later ruled that such stoppages are only permissible where both Houses of Parliament pass a concurrent resolution,” the committee stated.
Kajwang’ said the intention of such measures is to compel accountability, noting that funds could be withheld until audit queries are fully addressed.
“The purpose is to stop cash disbursement to counties that do not want to account for the funds they have received until the audit process is completed,” he said.
The committee expressed concern over what it described as a growing trend by some governors to either ignore summonses or repeatedly seek postponements, a practice it said undermines oversight and accountability.
As a result, CPAC said it is exploring alternative mechanisms to enforce compliance, including the development of “self-executing” guidelines in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General.
These guidelines would clearly spell out the consequences of failing to honour parliamentary summons.
“Another option under consideration is the formulation of clear rules of procedure jointly by CPAC and the Office of the Auditor-General, taking into account the legal, technical and political realities of public accountability,” Parliament said.
Governors routinely appear before Senate committees as part of Parliament’s oversight role, where lawmakers review budget implementation, interrogate audit reports and seek explanations on the management of county affairs to ensure compliance with national laws and prudent use of public resources.
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