The governor told the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) on Tuesday that the unexpected illness has limited his ability to respond to financial queries raised in the Auditor General’s report, prompting a request for a new hearing date.
Senators have been forced to postpone a session with Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo after he cited sudden health complications upon arrival at the Senate for his audit questioning.
The governor told the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) on Tuesday that the unexpected illness has limited his ability to respond to financial queries raised in the Auditor General’s report, prompting a request for a new hearing date.
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“Because of health reasons, I request we get a new date… this is a sudden occurrence, chair,” he said.
Senate CPAC members approved the request, allowing the governor to seek medical attention and reschedule the hearing.
Committee chair Moses Kajwang’ instructed that Nyaribo attend the session once a new date is communicated.
“Accountability is individual and is nothing corrated and we disburse finances to individual governors, not the council of governors. We will not allow a county to withdraw money if it has not accounted for it because that is the basic principle of accounting. Governor, we request that you get quick attention for you to get medical attention as soon as possible, and we shall give you a new date and make sure you attend when you set a new date,” Kajwang’ said.
The hearing is part of ongoing oversight proceedings where county governors are summoned to clarify issues flagged in audit reports, particularly concerning county financial management.
Nyaribo was expected to respond to queries arising from the Auditor General’s findings.
The governor’s plea comes amid a standoff between the Senate and the Council of Governors (CoG). Several governors have refused to appear before the CPAC, citing extortion, intimidation and political targeting by some senators.
“The Council of Governors notes with great concern the continuous and escalating extortion, political witch-hunt, harassment, intimidation and humiliation of Excellency governors by certain Senators when they appear before the Public Accounts Committee of the Senate,” CoG chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi said.
The county heads also called for the immediate reconstitution of the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) and County Public Investments and Special Funds (CPISF) committee, accusing legislators of overstepping their mandate and mismanaging oversight processes.
However, senators have maintained that governors’ appearances before committees are a constitutional requirement and warned that any official unwilling to comply with the law should vacate office.
The legislators vowed to scrutinise the county heads more aggressively, insisting on zero tolerance for any official who fails to account for public funds.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot condemned the governors’ actions, saying: “We can summon them to this house at any time, at any period, day or night… I was taken aback listening to that person… Some members have served in this house, and they know the procedures. You cannot be addressed by people who are purporting to be Excellencies, yet there is nothing excellent in their conduct.”
Cheruiyot added, “If you know that you’re clean… then you just appear in the house and answer questions. You don’t need to give us long stories.”
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei warned that failure to account for public funds would trigger intense scrutiny.
“When we are outside, people question what the role of the Senate is. Our greatest business is to ensure that all funds and resources are accounted for. It is not a favour or a privilege but a constitutional requirement. Anybody who does not want to account for public money should resign from office. It is a violation of Chapter Six,” he said.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna defended the committees’ mandate, noting that governors’ complaints were misdirected.
