A Senate watchdog committee has summoned Inspector General of Police David Kanja over what it says is contempt of Parliament.
The County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) issued the summons after the police chief failed to arrest and present Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit before the committee, despite clear instructions from the Senate.
CPAC Chairperson Senator Moses Kajwang’ accused the Inspector General of ignoring lawful orders from Parliament and undermining its authority.
“The Inspector General of Police must appear before this committee within seven days to explain why he has failed to implement resolutions of Parliament,” Senator Kajwang’ said.
He added that the police cannot operate outside the Constitution or disregard parliamentary oversight.
“The police must understand that they are not above Parliament. This committee will not tolerate contempt of Parliament by the Inspector General or failure to support the work of Parliament,” he said.
The dispute arose after Governor Lelelit repeatedly failed to appear before CPAC to explain how billions of shillings allocated to Samburu County were used during the 2023/24 financial year.
As a result, the committee fined the governor Sh500,000 and ordered him to appear before CPAC on December 4, 2025. When he failed to show up, the committee wrote to the Inspector General on December 9, directing the police to locate, arrest, and present the governor before the committee on December 18.
However, in a letter dated December 18, the Inspector General told the committee that police had been unable to trace the governor’s whereabouts and could not arrest him.
CPAC then directed the police chief to investigate further and produce the governor before the committee on January 26, 2026. The Inspector General did not respond to the letter and again failed to present the governor.
Later, Governor Lelelit wrote to the committee saying he could not attend the meeting because he was scheduled to attend a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi, chaired by President William Ruto.
CPAC member Senator Steven Lelegwe confirmed that he saw the governor at State House during the meeting.
“The governor is making excuses because he does not want to appear before this committee,” Senator Lelegwe said. “He is deliberately avoiding accountability.”
However, Senator Kajwang’ dismissed the explanations given by both the governor and the Inspector General, saying the letters did not clear the contempt charges facing the governor.
Committee members accused the Inspector General of failing to uphold his oath of office by not assisting Parliament in carrying out its oversight role.
“We cannot enforce accountability if the Inspector General ignores resolutions of Parliament,” said CPAC Vice Chair Senator Johnes Mwaruma. “His failure to arrest and present the governor amounts to contempt of Parliament.”
Senator Edwin Sifuna said the police boss’s actions had weakened parliamentary oversight.
“We must summon him and deal with this matter firmly. This is clear contempt of Parliament,” he said.
Senator Enock Wambua said recent events suggest the governor and the Inspector General may have been working together to frustrate the committee. He urged senators to focus on holding the police boss accountable.
Governor Lelelit is now expected to appear before the committee on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
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