Senators’ move to tame defiant governors okay

A looming clash between governors and senators poses a challenge for a system that should actually work like clockwork. The key responsibility of the Senate is to exercise oversight over the counties.

That entails ensuring that the devolved units are efficiently managed to discharge the vital responsibility of providing basic public services and fostering development countrywide.

However, senators are not amused that some governors are making the discharge of their mandate more difficult. This is so and yet county governments have increasingly come under scrutiny for squandering public resources and ignoring possible interventions by senators.

Determined to enhance due diligence over county funds, senators now want to punish the county chiefs who are notorious for snubbing parliamentary summonses. And the lawmakers are threatening to strike where it will really hurt the arrogant country bosses most: They plan to starve them of cash from the Exchequer.

A watchdog committee has raised its concern over governors who fail to appear before the Senate to account for the use of public funds after being adversely cited by the Auditor-General.

This is despite counties having come under scrutiny for wasteful spending of public funds in these times of dire financial straits for the country. It is simply not acceptable.

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has once again summoned Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to appear before it and explain the apparently questionable expenditure by the city county of Sh76 billion between 2020 and 2022.

Understandably, Mr Sakaja was not in office during most of that time, but it does not matter. But he is at the helm now and should, therefore, be able to present the answers the senators are seeking.

Senators have resolved to move a motion when the House resumes next week to compel the Treasury cabinet secretary, Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, to consider withholding the equitable financial share due to a county whose boss is cited for snubbing committee meetings for lack of accountability.

The senators’ tough line against the defiant governors is justifiable. The county bosses must account for every cent of the taxpayers’ money that they control. To end corruption and impunity, there should be no sacred cows.