Nairobi City County Governor Johnson Sakaja has criticized the move by the National Police Service (NPS) to arrest him over failure to appear before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, terming it “unwarranted and unnecessary”.
In a statement released on Monday night, Governor Sakaja insisted that the matter at hand is not personal, but is collectively handled by the Council of Governors.
Sakaja defended his failure to appear before the Senate watchdog committee, citing the ongoing standoff between the Council of Governors and the Senate of Kenya.
“The issue at hand is not a personal matter concerning Governor Sakaja Johnson but one that is being handled collectively by the Council of Governors, a body to which all Governors subscribe,” the statement read.
He added that he was acting on guidance from the Council of Governors, which had advised its members not to appear before the specific Senate committee until broader concerns are addressed.
He argued that disputes between governors and senators should be addressed institutionally, not through actions targeting an individual governor.
“The Governor acted in accordance wit the guidance issued by the CoG, which advised Governors not to appear before the said Senate committee until the outstanding issues raised are addressed,” the statement read.
Sakaja further noted that he has appeared before multiple Senate committees including his most recent one, the Lands and Environment Committee, to respond to audit reports dating from as far back as 2015.
“It is therefore misleading to single out one Governor in a matter that is collective and consultative in nature,” he said.
The Governor also criticized the manner in which police were deployed, questioning the timing and necessity of the operation.
“There is no justification for creating unnecessary drama or a show of force at night,” the statement said, adding that he had been in office throughout the day and remained accessible through official channels.
On Monday night, police were deployed to arrest the Nairobi Governor, following an order by the Senate Committee, for allegedly declining to honour a summons. Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud confirmed that law enforcement officers are prepared to enforce the order and take the governor to the Senate.
