The Senate of Kenya has moved to tighten oversight on county spending by proposing the formation of a 15-member ad hoc committee to monitor how counties implement audit recommendations, following a standoff with governors who declined to appear before a key watchdog team.
The proposal comes after 15 governors refused to appear before the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) to respond to concerns raised in the Auditor General’s reports on county financial statements for the 2024/25 financial year. The boycott disrupted scrutiny of how funds were used across the 47 county governments and their assemblies.
Both CPAC and the County Public Investment Committee (CPIC) had already completed reviewing the Auditor General’s reports and tabled their findings in the House. The Senate adopted the reports on March 31, meeting constitutional timelines.
The reports include recommendations ranging from administrative action against officers to calls for investigations by agencies such as EACC and DCI, with possible arrests and court action where necessary.
However, the review process was overshadowed by a dispute between governors and the Senate committee, with county chiefs accusing some members of harassment, intimidation and extortion. The tensions led to a boycott of CPAC sittings, culminating in the refusal by 15 governors to honour summons issued by the committee chaired by Moses Kajwang.
While moving the motion, Ledama ole Kina described the boycott as a direct attack on accountability and the Senate’s oversight role.
“All of us are brought here by the citizens of Kenya who expect us to report back to them on the issues of accountability. What we have been witnessing is arrogance and total misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Constitution and laws that governs devolution,” he said.
He noted that CPAC and CPIC had carried out their mandate, examined audit queries, and submitted reports within the required timelines before securing Senate approval. He stressed the need for close follow-up to ensure the recommendations are acted upon and that counties are held to account.
The initial proposal sought to task CPAC and CPIC with tracking implementation, tabling monthly progress reports, and taking action against noncompliant governors, including reissuing summons and recommending sanctions such as budget withholding under Article 229. The committees were also to escalate unresolved matters to oversight bodies including the Controller of Budget, EACC, and the Director of Public Prosecutions, and push for penalties under Chapter Six on Leadership and Integrity.
However, Richard Onyonka amended the motion, proposing instead the creation of an ad hoc committee made up of 15 senators to take over the follow-up role. The amendment was adopted by the House, with the committee expected to report back within 90 days.
Jackson Mandago backed the amendment, saying the new team will go deeper into the findings of CPAC and CPIC and bring out details the public may not yet be aware of, especially regarding counties whose governors failed to appear.
“You can jump, sleep, run away, postpone, but finally, you must account for the resources that have been deployed to your county government. You cannot run away from the responsibility of accounting for the resources that have been sent to your county for purposes of serving the citizens of that county,” he said.
He added that the move would give the Senate more time to analyse the reports in detail and help the public better understand how county funds are being used and whether they are delivering value to citizens.
The House has since gone on a two-week recess starting April 2, with the names of the 15 senators set to be unveiled once sittings resume.
