CoG names Sifuna, Cherargei, Kajwang among Senators ‘extorting’ Governors

The Council of Governors (CoG) made good its threat to publicly name Senators it accuses of intimidating and attempting to extort Governors appearing before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC).

In a statement issued after a meeting on Wednesday, the CoG singled out four Senators including CPAC Chairperson Moses Kajwang, Vice-Chairperson Johnes Mwaruma, Edwin Sifuna and Samson Cherargei, alleging that they have been “notorious” for misconduct during oversight sessions.

The four have denied the claims by the governors.

The governors accused the lawmakers of engaging in extortion, political witch-hunts, intimidation and harassment of county chiefs summoned before the committee. The Council said the four Senators had been “consistently cited” in complaints raised by Governors over the conduct of CPAC proceedings.

As part of the resolutions adopted at the meeting, the governors announced that they will no longer honour summons from the Senate Public Accounts Committee until their concerns are “adequately and conclusively” addressed.

“Governors shall with immediate effect not appear before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC)) until the concerns raised herein are adequately and conclusively addressed,” said CoG.

Among the demands tabled by the CoG is the removal of the four Senators from the relevant oversight committees, which it says is necessary to restore trust in the accountability process.

“The Council demands the removal of the four named Senators from the affected committees as a prerequisite to restoring confidence, integrity and fairness in the oversight process,” the statement said.

The governors have also called for the urgent convening of a structured engagement forum between Senate leadership and the Council of Governors. The proposed talks, they said, should establish clear, transparent and respectful modalities for Governors’ appearances before Senate committees and put in place safeguards against harassment, extortion and political persecution.

The Senate had asked for evidence in the claims by the governor and vowed to continue with its oversight role.