The Senate Public Accounts Committee has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to arrest and present Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo before the committee after he failed to honour a summons.
The directive, issued by the committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, came after Governor Guyo did not appear before the committee on July 27 at 2pm as scheduled.
The committee noted that the governor had written an apology letter dated July 16, explaining that he would not be able to attend the Senate session because of official county engagements and requested that his appearance be postponed.
"We regret to inform you that his excellency will be unable to attend the meeting on the scheduled date due to prior official engagements that had been confirmed before the receipt of the invitation. In view of this we requet the rescheduling of the invitation," the letter read.
However, the committee, the County Government of Isiolo and the Auditor General's office confirmed that copies of the letter were only received at 12:30pm on the day Governor Guyo was expected to appear.
Senator Kajwang criticised the communication process, describing it as flawed and accusing the governor of "non-cooperation."
Following the developments, Senator Kajwang directed IG Kanja to execute the arrest warrant, saying the committee needed answers on where the communication breakdown occurred.
He also referenced the committee's July 9 sitting, when a similar warrant for the governor's arrest was issued but was never enforced.
The committee further instructed IG Kanja to appear on the day Governor Guyo is scheduled to appear before senators to explain why police have been unable to arrest the governor despite previous orders and address concerns raised by the public.
Governor Guyo is expected to appear before the Senate to respond to key audit concerns surrounding the expenditure of billions of shillings allocated to the Isiolo County government.
The committee further observed what it described as a recurring pattern by the governor, noting that he has consistently failed to honour Senate summons over the past two financial years.
Senator Kajwang said the committee had exercised caution to ensure Governor Guyo was accorded due administrative process before seeking police intervention.
"We wanted to be extremely careful to ensure that there was fair administrative action, to ensure that all the internal processes had been exhausted before asking the IG or police to produce the governor," Senator Kajwang stated.
He maintained that the committee had given the governor sufficient opportunities to comply voluntarily but had been left with no alternative.
"We are convinced that we have been fair administratively, we are convinced that we have given appropriate notices, we are convinced that we have repeatedly attempted to have the governor appear before us through invitations and he has chosen not to through summons, he has chosen not to, we are left with no option but to ask the IG police to bring him before us," he added.
In addition to reviewing the Auditor General's findings, the committee called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to actively investigate the alleged misuse of public funds, insisting that those responsible for managing public resources must be held accountable.
The committee also raised concerns over Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Garissa Governor Nathif Jama Adam, warning that both county chiefs have continued to ignore summons issued by the committee.
