Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to arrest Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo. This comes after Governor Guyo repeatedly failed to attend meetings with several summonses by the senate committee.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to arrest Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo. This comes after Governor Guyo repeatedly failed to attend meetings with several summonses by the senate committee.
Kingi, while addressing the Senate, said that governors must treat appearances before Senate committees as duties, and not favors. Kingi said Senator Fatuma Dullo had pointed out the absence of the governor several times.
Kingi listed several occasions where Governor Guyo declined to appear starting with an invitation from the County Public Accounts Committee dated April 12, 2024. On July 31, 2024, Guyo also snubbed a request by the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget. The governor further declined to appear following an invitation dated September 30, 2024.
Kingi also noted that each time Governor Guyo appeared before the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee, he used threatening language towards members of the committee. Furthermore, Guyo failed to appear on May 21, 2024, before the Standing Committee on Health and acquired a court order inhibiting the implementation of the committee’s recommendations.
The Speaker added that the same case of defiance by Governor Guyo was also experienced in other committees including those of Standing Committees on National Cohesion and on Devolution.
Under Article 125 of the Constitution, Kingi told the Senate, both Houses of Parliament and the committees thereof have powers to summon any person to give evidence. “The powers to summon by the committees are akin to those of the High Court,” he said, citing a 2014 court ruling that upheld these powers.
Kingi argued that the Senate had taken every measure; it had sought consultations. “This action by the governor not only violates the rule of law but also obstructs the Senate in executing its mandate as the defender of counties,” he said.
Kingi ordered the committees to liaise with the Inspector General of Police to ensure Governor Guyo is presented before the Senate without further ado.
