Senate Speaker Amason Kingi took his turn to defend his senators in the midst of the tensions between the Senate and governors, even dismissing claims that lawmakers use oversight meetings to settle scores and extort money from those they meet.
However, in remarks issued on Tuesday, Kingi dismissed the accusations by these governors as unfounded and diversionary.
This comes a day after the Council of Governors said that some governors would not honor Senate summons, citing harassment and political witch hunts by a clique of Senators.
Kingi, however, claims the Senate is merely performing its duty.
“The role of the Senate in overseeing the counties’ governments has been well established in the Constitution,” he said. “We just want to ensure that money is properly used.”
He also reminded the governors of the legal requirement to appear before the Senate committees to explain the use of funds county governments receive.
The committees, such as the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) and the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPIC), even scrutinize audit reports and question governors over issues such as embezzlement, stalled projects, and spending habits.
Kingi warned that “skipping (the summons) is not an option.”
“You cannot refuse to appear. Accountability is not personal. It’s about the people and their taxes,” a Senate source repeated the Speaker’s views.
At the retreat, the governors complained that often being called to the house disrupted service delivery and that some committee calls were unfair to them. They also appealed to the Senate that their concerns be addressed.
Though open to talks, Kingi attacked what he termed “public attacks” on the Senate. He argued that channels exist to air grievances instead of doing it in public through the media.
This standoff presents a scenario that marks a new phase of confrontation between these two arms of government, given that Kenyans demand transparency regarding how billions of shillings sent to counties are spent.
Ultimately, it’s all about the public, and the public wants answers, not fights.
