Governors Push Back After Senate Arrest Order
The Council of Governors (CoG) has now called for the immediate withdrawal of the alleged arrest warrants and any other forceful measures said to be targeting governors, following the attempted arrest of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Speaking during a media briefing held on Tuesday, March 31, CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi said that any legal action taken against governors must be guided by verified facts, credible evidence, and fairness, rather than political pressure, personal interests, or misuse of public institutions.
He stressed that the governors are demanding the immediate lifting of the reported arrest warrants and any coercive action, at least until an independent and impartial review of the matter is carried out.
According to him, due process and justice must be respected at all times, especially in matters involving elected county leaders.
The governors also strongly criticised the attempted arrest of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Monday, March 30.
They argued that such a move only increases mistrust between institutions and risks weakening confidence in the rule of law, accountability systems, and intergovernmental relations.
In the same statement, the CoG urged Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to first establish the truth and credibility of any accusations or cases involving governors before allowing arrests or enforcement action to proceed.
Ahmed further noted that the Office of the Inspector General should carefully verify the facts of every complaint so as to prevent any miscarriage of justice, abuse of legal procedures, or the use of state processes for political scores and personal agendas.
This fresh statement from the governors comes only days after the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) directed IG Kanja to ensure that Sakaja and his Samburu counterpart, Jonathan Lelelit, are produced before the committee after they failed to honour previous summons.
The Inspector General had been given until Monday, March 30, to present the two governors before the committee.
Failure to do so, the Senate had warned, could have pushed the House to consider declaring the two leaders unfit to continue holding public office through a formal communication to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The standoff now highlights the growing tension between the Senate’s oversight role and the governors’ push for what they describe as fair, lawful, and non-politicised accountability processes.
The issue is likely to spark further debate on the balance between county autonomy, constitutional oversight, and the protection of legal rights for public officials.
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