Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has ended a dramatic standoff with authorities by driving himself to Parliament, bringing to a close several hours of a police manhunt.
This incident follows a summons from the Senate Committee on County Public Accounts (CPAC), which had directed him to appear.
In a video seen by The Kenya Times, Sakaja was captured driving a Mercedes-Benz to the National Assembly.
Sakaja Appears Before Senate
According to Sakaja, his decision to drive to Parliament himself was intended to demonstrate his willingness to engage with Senate committees, even as he called for an amicable resolution of the ongoing standoff between the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Senate.
“I came to the Senate to meet the leadership and members of the committee. First, I am a law-abiding citizen,” Sakaja said. “I have appeared before these committees many times six times this year alone and about ten times last year. I have even responded to audit queries dating back to 2015, including those from my predecessors.”
He criticized attempts to single him out, terming the developments surrounding his case as exaggerated.
He also dismissed claims that he was evading accountability, noting that he had been available and had nothing to hide.
“It is wrong to single out one county or one governor. The drama we are seeing is not fair. The CoG is an institution just like the Senate let the two institutions resolve the matter collectively,” Sakaja added.
Sakaja Alleged Case with CPAC
Sakaja has been at the centre of a high-profile dispute with the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), arrived around midday in a black Mercedes-Benz sedan, accompanied by aides carrying official documents related to the matter.
Also Read: Nairobi Governor Sakaja To Be Arrested
His decision to turn up voluntarily occurred after a police operation was launched on Monday to track him down.
Regional Police Commander Issa Mohammud confirmed on Monday that officers were seeking to arrest the governor after he failed to honour multiple summonses from CPAC, a key Senate watchdog committee tasked with overseeing county accounts.
The standoff stems from Governor Sakaja’s repeated refusal to appear before CPAC to respond to audit queries for Nairobi County’s 2024/2025 financial year.
The committee, led by Senator Moses Kajwang’, fined Sakaja Sh500,000 last week for conduct they said amounted to contempt of Parliament.
On Monday, police officers, acting on directives from national policing leadership, camped outside City Hall in the Nairobi in an attempt to execute an arrest.
Despite their presence, Sakaja did not come out, and the officers eventually withdrew without detaining him.
Sakaja dismissed the police action as an unnecessary “show of force,” criticizing the deployment of armed officers to effect his arrest.
He reiterated the position adopted by the Council of Governors (CoG), in which county executives agreed to a collective stance of non-appearance before CPAC until certain alleged issues, including accusations of extortion and intimidation by some committee members.
Also Read: Relief for Nairobi Landlords as Sakaja Issues Order Ahead of Crackdown
Governors Order Withdrawal of Arrest Warrants After Sakaja Targeted
The Council of Governors (CoG) has called for the immediate withdrawal of alleged arrest warrants and any coercive measures targeting governors.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, March 31, CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi stressed that any action against governors should rely on verified facts rather than political or personal interests.
Additionally, the council condemned the arrest attempt on Monday, March 30, describing it as an action that deepens mistrust and undermines the rule of law.
They have also called on the National Police Service, through the Office of the Inspector General, to independently verify the issues in question to prevent what they describe as a potential miscarriage of justice or the misuse of state machinery for political or personal interests.
“We demand the immediate withdrawal of any alleged warrants of arrest; we have not seen any. We also demand the withdrawal of any coercive measures against governors pending an impartial determination of this matter,” said Ahmed Abdullahi.
