Police Storm City Hall in Hunt for Nairobi Governor Sakaja After Senate Orders Arrest
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 30 — Police officers searched Nairobi City Hall on Monday for Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja following a directive by a Senate watchdog committee ordering his arrest for contempt of Parliament after he failed to honour multiple summons to appear before lawmakers.
Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud told reporters at Nairobi City Hall that officers had launched an operation to locate the governor but had not yet found him, adding that the search would continue until he is apprehended and presented before the Senate committee.
“We are not relenting. We are going to look for him, and if he does not present himself by tomorrow morning, maybe we will get him tonight,” Mohamud said, declining to disclose operational details.
He added that police would carry out their mandate without fear or favour and ensure compliance with the Senate’s directive.
Police Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said the enforcement action was not limited to the Nairobi governor, noting that a similar directive had been issued against the governor of Samburu County over the same matter.
“This action is not directed to Governor Sakaja alone. It also includes the governor for Samburu. Under Articles 96 and 125 of the Constitution, they are duty-bound to present themselves before the Senate. Failure to do so requires us to take all necessary steps and arrest and present them before the Senate,” Nyaga said.
He added that officers across the country had been instructed to execute the arrest orders wherever the governors may be found, stressing that the National Police Service was acting on instructions issued through the Office of the Inspector General.
“The rule of law must be seen to prevail, and no one is above the law,” Nyaga said, urging the governors to present themselves voluntarily before the Senate.
The developments follow a decision on March 25 by the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Moses Kajwang, to fine Sakaja Sh 500,000 and order his arrest after finding him in contempt of Parliament for failing to honour repeated summons.
The committee had sought explanations regarding the management of billions of shillings allocated to Nairobi City County Government, citing concerns raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year.
Lawmakers flagged several financial irregularities, including unsupported personnel expenditures, large withdrawals from salary accounts lacking documentation, and questions over fuel spending and waste management contracts.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna told the committee that the Senate must compel the governor to account for public funds, warning that the findings pointed to serious governance failures.
“The only place I can face the Governor and demand accountability is in this Senate, before this committee,” Sifuna said during the deliberations.
In response, the Office of the Governor said the arrest order was unnecessary and argued that the dispute between governors and the Senate should be handled institutionally through the Council of Governors, which had advised governors not to appear before the committee until broader concerns were resolved.
The governor’s office maintained that Sakaja had remained accessible through official channels and had previously appeared before other Senate committees, adding that the matter involved a collective position taken by multiple county leaders.