Police Move to Arrest Sakaja as Senate Pressure Mounts

Police officers have launched efforts to trace Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja following a fresh push by the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), which accused him of contempt of Parliament after he allegedly failed to honour repeated summons.

Similar warnings and enforcement threats against governors who ignore Senate appearances have recently been confirmed by CPAC and the Inspector General, showing that the crackdown is part of a wider accountability drive.

Authorities are now said to be actively searching for the county boss, with the operation reportedly gathering momentum late on Monday, March 30.

According to information obtained by Newshub.co.ke, police officers spent several hours stationed outside City Hall in Nairobi’s Central Business District as they waited for a chance to arrest the governor and escort him to face the Senate committee.

However, the early efforts to locate Sakaja did not immediately succeed. Initial reports suggest the governor may have received information about the planned arrest in advance and quietly left his office before police officers arrived at the premises.

This unexpected development appears to have complicated the operation, forcing officers to widen the search beyond City Hall.

Confirming the ongoing search, Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud said the police were simply carrying out instructions that followed a formal Senate resolution made last week.

He explained that the operation was based on directions issued through the office of Inspector General Douglas Kanja.

“We are following orders issued by the Inspector General of Police and will take the necessary steps,” Mohamud said.

The Senate’s CPAC had on March 25 given the Inspector General until Monday, March 30, to produce Governor Sakaja before the committee.

The lawmakers insisted that the Nairobi governor must personally appear to answer serious audit questions touching on the use of county resources and the management of public funds.

CPAC chair Moses Kajwang’ had made it clear that failure by the police boss to present Sakaja within the set deadline would force the committee to escalate the matter further.

Among the possible actions under consideration is a formal declaration by the committee that Sakaja is unfit to continue holding public office, a move that could significantly raise the political temperature in Nairobi.

In addition to the arrest directive, the committee had already fined the governor KSh 500,000 for ignoring Senate summons.

Senators viewed his absence as a direct challenge to Parliament’s oversight authority, especially at a time when county governments are under intense scrutiny over public spending and service delivery.

Sakaja had been expected to appear before the committee to respond to the Auditor General’s report on Nairobi County. But after he failed to show up, senators resolved to adopt the audit findings as they were presented.

The report reportedly raised major concerns over irregular expenditure, possible misappropriation of county resources, and weaknesses in financial controls within the Nairobi County administration.

The pressure on Sakaja intensified even more after a controversial audit claim alleged that his administration had hired seven advisors, each said to be earning a monthly salary of KSh 203,000.

The revelation sparked fresh questions among senators about the county wage bill, the necessity of the advisory positions, and whether taxpayers were getting value for money.

The Senate committee is also pursuing similar action against Samburu Governor Jonathan Lati Lelelit, who is likewise being sought over failure to appear before the watchdog committee.

This suggests the Senate is widening its campaign to compel governors across the country to account for how public funds are being used.

The unfolding standoff now places Governor Sakaja under growing legal and political pressure, with the possibility of arrest, further Senate sanctions, and renewed criticism over Nairobi County’s financial management likely to dominate the city’s political conversation in the coming days.

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