IG Kanja Summoned Over Failure to Arrest Isiolo Governor
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has been summoned by the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) to explain why police have failed to arrest Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo and present him before the committee.
The Senate committee summoned Kanja after the National Police Service (NPS) failed to carry out an earlier order requiring the arrest of Governor Guyo, who had reportedly failed to honour summons to appear before the committee.
Kanja was expected to appear before the Senate on Monday, September 7, to explain why the Governor had not been arrested and brought before the committee as directed.
However, the police boss did not appear in person. Instead, he sent a letter to the committee explaining that he was scheduled to travel to China and would therefore not be able to attend the session.
In his letter, Kanja explained that he had already established a special police team whose responsibility was to locate, arrest and present Governor Guyo before the Senate committee.
According to the Inspector General, the team made efforts to apprehend the Governor, but the operation was unsuccessful after Guyo allegedly received information about the planned arrest and managed to avoid the police.
Kanja stated that the Governor had apparently received intelligence about the police operation and successfully escaped the dragnet that had been put in place to arrest him.
Despite the explanation, the Senate committee was not satisfied with Kanja’s response and rejected his decision to send a letter instead of appearing before the lawmakers personally.
CPAC chairperson Moses Kajwang criticised the wording of the letter, saying it created an impression that the National Police Service was unable to enforce the Senate’s directive.
“The wording in the letter is not useful at all. It is unfortunate that the impression he creates in the letter is that the NPS is clueless, ineffective and powerless,” Kajwang said.
The committee chairman further questioned how police could fail to arrest a well-known public figure such as a sitting county governor despite being given a clear directive to do so.
Kajwang said the failure to arrest and present Governor Guyo before the Senate could send the wrong message to members of the public, particularly regarding the ability of law enforcement agencies to execute lawful orders.
“The failure by the police to arrest such a known public figure is sending the wrong signal to the public,” he added.
The committee therefore maintained that Kanja must appear before the Senate in person and provide a detailed explanation regarding the failed operation.
The Inspector General had earlier been given a deadline by the Senate to arrest Governor Guyo and produce him before the committee after the Governor allegedly failed to respond to its summons.
The directive followed concerns by the committee over Guyo’s failure to appear and answer questions relating to the management and use of public funds in Isiolo County.
The Senate committee is investigating audit queries raised by the Auditor-General concerning the utilisation of billions of shillings allocated to the Isiolo County government.
The lawmakers want Governor Guyo to appear before them and respond to questions surrounding the county’s financial management and explain how public funds were spent.
The matter has also attracted the attention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which the committee has asked to investigate possible misuse of public resources in Isiolo County.
The Senate has maintained that county governments must be held accountable for the use of public money and that officials responsible for managing public funds should be ready to answer questions raised by oversight institutions.
With Kanja now required to appear before the committee, lawmakers are expected to seek clarification on the police operation, why Governor Guyo managed to evade arrest and whether further steps will be taken to ensure that he eventually appears before the Senate.
The summons against the Inspector General adds another layer to the growing dispute between the Senate oversight committee, the police service and the Isiolo County administration over the Governor’s failure to honour the committee’s summons.
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