Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has directed that Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit be escorted to the Parliament Police Station by the Sergeant‑at‑Arms after he was spotted within the parliamentary precincts, despite an active arrest warrant.
The warrant follows Lelelit’s repeated failure to appear before the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), which had summoned him to provide explanations on county financial matters.
During Wednesday’s sitting, Speaker Kingi emphasized that if the governor remained on the parliamentary grounds, the police should take him into custody immediately.
Amason Kingi Orders Detention of Samburu Governor Over Failure to Appear Before CPAC. Photo: Courtesy.
The move comes amid growing tensions between the Senate and several county governors, many of whom have ignored summonses from the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC).
The Council of Governors (CoG), chaired by Ahmed Abdullahi, criticized the police and Senate actions as “unwarranted” and heavy-handed, particularly following attempts to arrest Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
CoG argued that the governors’ boycott is driven by concerns over alleged intimidation and harassment by some CPAC members, urging that the matter be resolved through dialogue rather than coercion.
So far, only a few of the 29 summoned governors have appeared before the committee, heightening the standoff over oversight, accountability, and constitutional duties.
While Senate leaders maintain that all governors must comply with parliamentary summonses, the counties insist the process should be conducted fairly, without intimidation or punitive threats.
