Senate Speaker Amason Kingi on Tuesday ordered Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to arrest Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo him and present him before the house.
The Speaker issued the orders after Senators expressed their disappointment with the Governor's refusal to honour several summons. On Tuesday, the governor snubbed another summon to appear before the Committee on Finance and the plenary to respond to questions on alleged financial mismanagement that have been raised in Isiolo County.
''The Senate had issued summons to the Governor of Isiolo to appear before its various committees only for the Governor to fail to make an appearance, I hereby direct the Inspector General of Police to liase with the various committees to arrest the Governor and present him to the various committees,’’ Kingi ordered.
‘’This (directive) is not a favour that the Senate and its committees are asking of the Inspector General of Police, the defiance expressed by the Governor in respect of the invitations and summons of the Senate cannot persist,’’ he added.
‘’The Inspector General of Police must in exercise of his mandate pursuant to article to 245(b) of the Constitution extend the necessary support to the committees in order to secure the appearance of the Governor,’’ the Speaker directed.
According to Tabitha Mutinda the Vice Chairperson of the Finance and Budget Committee, the governor declined to appear before the committee claiming that he had other important engagements that he had to attend to.
‘’As Committee of Finance we summoned the Governor and he excused himself indicating that he was hosting a function that was so much of a priority unlike appearing before the Committee,’’ she told the Senate.
During the session leading up to the Speaker's directive, several senators had piled on the Senator observing that his actions amounted to contempt.
Tharaka Nithi Senator Mwenda Gataya, in particular, urged the Speaker to issue a directive compelling him to honour all the invites before the house.
''The Governor of Isiolo must be compelled to appear before all committees he has been invited to,’’ Gataya maintained.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua also expressed his view that being firm on Guyo would serve as an example to other leaders notorious for ignoring summons.
‘’Let the Senate ensure that the Governor of Isiolo is physically arrested and locked up in the cells of Parliament Police Station and be produced before a Plenary Sitting of the Senate so that he may serve as an example to other wayward governors,’’ Wambua added.
Focus will now shift to the Police IG as to whether he will effect the arrest.
