The Senate has drawn a line in the sand, threatening to turn off the financial taps for governors who think they are too powerful to answer audit queries.

The era of the "imperial governor" may be coming to a screeching, cash-strapped halt. In a move that escalates the war between the Senate and the Council of Governors (CoG) to nuclear levels, the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee has threatened to freeze fund disbursements to counties that defy summons. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-9)Committee Chairperson Godfrey Osotsi did not mince his words, terming the governors' coordinated snubbing of the Senate as "unconstitutional" and a direct assault on the principle of accountability.

The Accountability Standoff

The conflict reached a boiling point in Kilifi, where governors resolved to boycott Senate summons, citing "harassment and extortion" by senators. It is a grave accusation, but one that Osotsi dismisses as a smokescreen to hide systemic plunder. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-11)"You cannot appropriate money without accountability," Osotsi declared from Bunge Tower. "If there is no accountability, there will be no appropriations."

This threat is not idle. Under the Public Finance Management Act, the Senate has the power to recommend the stoppage of funds to county governments that persistently breach financial laws. Ideally, this is the "nuclear option," but the Senate seems ready to press the button. The implications are catastrophic: unpaid salaries, stalled projects, and a complete paralysis of service delivery in the affected counties.

• The "Amorphous" CoG: Osotsi dismantled the governors' defense by attacking their collective body. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-13)He described the Council of Governors as an "amorphous body not recognized by law" in the context of individual accountability. Each governor, he argued, is personally liable for their county's funds and cannot hide behind the skirt of the CoG.
• The Extortion Claim: The governors' claim that senators are extorting them is a serious allegation that warrants investigation. However, using it as a blanket excuse to avoid answering audit queries raises more questions than it answers.

A Constitutional Crisis Looming

We are witnessing a high-stakes game of chicken between the two levels of government. If the Senate carries out its threat, the victims will not be the governors—who are well-insulated by their personal wealth—but the common mwananchi who relies on county dispensaries and markets. Yet, if the governors are allowed to operate without oversight, devolution becomes a vehicle for decentralized corruption.

Senator Osotsi represents a Senate that is tired of being treated as a toothless bulldog. By reaching for the purse strings, they are reminding the county bosses who truly holds the power. The message is simple: Turn up and explain how you spent the billions, or watch your county grind to a halt.

As the standoff continues, the public watches with bated breath. Will the governors blink and appear before the "inquisitors," or will they plunge their counties into a financial crisis to protect their egos? The next disbursement schedule will tell the tale.