The escalating war between the Senate and county chiefs has reached a boiling point with a total boycott of oversight summons. Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has launched a scathing attack on the Council of Governors (CoG), accusing them of evading accountability and treating constitutional mandates as optional inconveniences.

This brazen refusal by governors to account for public expenditure threatens the very fabric of devolution, raising alarm bells about unchecked corruption and the erosion of checks and balances in county governance. The standoff has paralyzed the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), leaving billions of shillings in taxpayer money unaccounted for and deepening the mistrust between the two levels of government.

A Constitutional Showdown

The conflict erupted after the CoG announced that governors would no longer appear before the CPAC, citing "intimidation, harassment, and humiliation." In a defiant statement, the council argued that the senators were using the committee sittings to settle political scores rather than to audit books. They resolved to appear only once per audit cycle, a move that the Senate views as illegal and contemptuous.

Senator Cheruiyot fired back, reminding the county bosses that accountability is not a favor they grant to the Senate but a constitutional duty. "Governors are constitutionally required to appear before the Senate when summoned," he stated. "This is not optional." His sentiments were echoed by other senators who see the boycott as a calculated attempt to hide financial rot in the counties.

• The Accusation: Governors claim senators are extorting them and using the committee to humiliate them publicly for political mileage.
• The Rebuttal: The Senate insists it is merely performing its oversight role and that governors who have nothing to hide should have no fear of appearing.

Allegations of Extortion and Harassment

The governors' grievances are deep-seated. They allege that some senators demand bribes to "go easy" on audit queries and that the grillings are often theatrical performances designed to embarrass them before their constituents. The CoG's resolution to boycott the sittings until a "structured engagement" is agreed upon is a desperate measure to force a change in the Senate's modus operandi.

However, by refusing to show up, the governors risk being seen as rogue officials operating above the law. The Senate has the power to withhold funds to counties that refuse to account for previous allocations, a "nuclear option" that would grind county services to a halt and hurt the common mwananchi most.

The Public Purse at Risk

Caught in the crossfire is the Kenyan taxpayer. With the oversight mechanism broken, there is a real danger that funds meant for hospitals, roads, and bursaries could be misappropriated without consequence. The Senate is the only institution with the mandate to hold governors directly accountable for financial management; without it, devolution becomes a free-for-all.

As the standoff continues, civil society groups are calling for a truce. "Two elephants are fighting, and it is the grass—the people of Kenya—that is suffering," a governance expert warned. Unless both sides put aside their egos and return to the table, the dream of accountable devolution risks turning into a nightmare of impunity.