Parliament buildings were tense on Wednesday afternoon after Senate Speaker Amason Kingi instructed for the immediate arrest and escort of Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit to the Parliament Police Station.
The incident occurred after Governor Lelelit was found inside the Parliament premises despite an existing arrest warrant against him.
The warrant was issued due to his persistent absence from the Senate’s oversight committee, which had summoned him multiple times to respond to audit inquiries.
At approximately 3:25pm, Speaker Kingi commanded the Sergeant-at-Arms to take immediate action upon confirming the governor’s location.
‘At this moment, I instruct the Sergeant-at-Arms to accompany Governor Samburu if he remains within Parliament grounds to the closest police facility,’ stated Kingi.
Just before the directive, the Senate Majority Leader, Aaron Cheruiyot, stood before the House and requested the Speaker to act promptly.
‘This demands your immediate attention, Mr Speaker. As I am aware this session is being monitored online, please issue instructions before the governor departs and have him taken to the police station here at Parliament,’ Cheruiyot mentioned.
The Kericho Senator’s comments were supported by his Kitui colleague, Enoch Wambua, who accused the governors of blatantly disregarding the Senate’s summons.
He specifically criticized Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for what he characterized as open defiance and resistance to the summons and subsequent arrest.
‘The ongoing challenges with Parliament must conclude. Only you, the Speaker of the Senate of Kenya, have the authority to resolve this situation,’ Wambua added.
Information suggests that Governor Lelelit was speaking with journalists outside the Parliament complex when the Senate Speaker commanded his immediate detention.
Shortly before his press conference, the Samburu Governor had arrived to meet with Senate leadership in an attempt to prevent arrest for ignoring the summons.
The Senate oversight committee, responsible for supervising county governments, had described the situation as a direct affront to the Senate’s authority.
This development follows shortly after police officers were stationed outside Governor Sakaja’s City Hall office to detain him for repeatedly failing to respond to Senate summons.