The standoff between county chiefs and the Senate has escalated into a full-blown constitutional crisis, with three governors defiantly snubbing summonses and dropping a bombshell allegation: Senators are demanding bribes for clearance.

In a coordinated display of defiance, Governors Stephen Sang (Nandi), James Orengo (Siaya), and Joshua Irungu (Laikipia) left the Senate County Public Accounts Committee staring at empty chairs this week. Their absence was not due to scheduling conflicts; it was a protest. The trio has openly accused the oversight committee of operating an extortion racket, alleging that the "accountability" sessions are nothing more than shakedowns where MPs demand financial kickbacks to sanitize audit queries.

The gravity of these accusations cannot be overstated. James Orengo, a legal titan and veteran of the Senate himself, brings a weight of credibility to the claims that forces the public to listen. When a Senior Counsel refuses to appear before a body he once served in, citing its "criminal enterprise" nature, the institution’s legitimacy hangs by a thread. The governors argue that the committee members are using the threat of adverse reports to terrorize county officials into submission.

The Boycott in Detail

The refusal to appear is a calculated political move designed to force a reset of the oversight framework. The governors’ grievances are specific:

• Quid pro quo: Allegations that committee members have explicitly asked for money to "go easy" on audit queries.
• Procedural unfairness: Claims that the committee ignores documentation provided by counties to maintain a narrative of incompetence.
• Political targeting: The belief that Sang, Orengo, and Irungu are being singled out for their political stances rather than their administrative performance.

Senate Strikes Back

The Senate committee has reacted with fury, threatening to issue arrest warrants for the defiant governors. They view the bribery allegations as a smokescreen designed to distract from the massive theft of public funds in the counties. "They are running away from accountability," one Senator retorted, dismissing the bribery claims as the last refuge of the guilty.

We are witnessing a breakdown of inter-governmental relations. If governors can simply refuse to be audited by claiming the auditors are corrupt, the entire system of checks and balances collapses. Conversely, if the Senate has indeed turned into a rent-seeking cartel, then the guardians have become the thieves. The public watches in dismay as the elephants fight, and as always, it is the grass—development and service delivery—that suffers.