Members of the Senate are pushing for tougher action against county governments whose governors fail to appear before parliamentary committees to answer questions about how public funds are used.
The lawmakers now want funds meant for those counties to be frozen until the leaders comply with the summons.
The proposal is contained in a motion that seeks to strengthen the Senate’s ability to hold county leaders accountable.
Senators argue that some governors have repeatedly ignored invitations to appear before the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee, making it difficult for the House to properly review audit queries raised in reports by Office of the Auditor-General.
The committee, chaired by Moses Kajwang, has reportedly experienced several instances where governors or senior county officials fail to attend sessions meant to review how counties have managed public money.
Under the proposed plan, the Senate wants the Office of the Controller of Budget to stop approving withdrawals from a county’s revenue fund if its governor fails to appear before a Senate committee.
This would be done using powers provided under Article 228(5) of the Constitution and the Public Finance Management Act.
According to the motion, the Controller of Budget would rely on official communication from the Senate.
A letter from the Clerk of the Senate confirming that a governor or an accounting officer has ignored a summons would be enough to trigger the suspension of funds.
Once the governor appears before the committee and responds to the concerns raised, the approval of withdrawals could resume.
Senators say such measures are necessary to protect public resources and ensure leaders remain answerable for how taxpayers’ money is spent.
They believe ignoring Senate summons weakens the chamber’s constitutional oversight role and makes it harder to enforce financial accountability in county governments.
Lawmakers have also warned that continued refusal by governors to appear before committees could create a culture where public officials feel they can avoid scrutiny without consequences.
However, some governors have strongly opposed the move. Several county chiefs claim that certain hearings in the Senate sometimes turn into political confrontations rather than genuine oversight sessions.
They accuse some senators of using the meetings to settle political scores or demand favours when governors appear before them.
