Senate committee summons Sakaja and Kihika over contempt

A Senate watchdog committee has now summoned two governors for exhibiting contempt and having high disregard for their oversight role.

The Senate County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee chaired by Vihiga legislator Godfrey Osotsi summoned governors Johnson Sakaja on Nairobi and Susan Kihika of Nakuru for failing to honour the committee’s invite on audit queries affecting the water firms in their counties.

This is after Sakaja failed to appear before the committee yesterday, citing being out of the country yet he was seen on television attending Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards match at Nyayo stadium on Sunday afternoon.

This is the third time the Nairobi City boss failed to appear to answer to the audit queries of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) for more than five financial years.

Yesterday, Osotsi while delivering a ruling on the non-appearance of the city boss threatened to seek the services of Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome should Sakaja fail to honour the sermons.

Parliamentary powers

“We issue a directive that the governor be summoned to appear before this committee on a date to be communicated by the Clerk failure to which, we will invoke the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act and ask the Police to arrest him,” directed Osotsi.

He went on, “The Governor was seen on TV attending a match. You cannot just tell us that you are out of the country. This governor was a former Senator and should show examples. We expect Governors who were not Senators to behave like this but not former Senators.”