Senate vs governors: Cheruiyot slams CoG over refusal to face CPAC
By Mabonga Makhanu, February 9, 2026Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has criticised the Council of Governors (COG) after it declined to appear before the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAK) to be questioned on accountability issues.
In a statement shared on his social media platforms on Monday, February 9, 2026, Cheruiyot insisted that governors are constitutionally required to appear before the Senate when summoned, especially on matters touching on the use of public resources and county accountability. He argued that such appearances are not optional and should not be treated as a favour that governors can choose to honour or ignore.
The Kericho Senator further maintained that oversight of county governments remains a core mandate of the Senate, adding that ongoing discussions between the two levels of leadership should focus on strengthening accountability rather than justifying non-appearance. His remarks come amid rising tensions between senators and governors over summonses issued to county chiefs to appear before parliamentary committees to answer audit and expenditure queries.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has criticised the Council of Governors (COG) after it declined to appear before the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee (CPAK) to be questioned on accountability issues.
In a statement shared on his social media platforms on Monday, February 9, 2026, Cheruiyot insisted that governors are constitutionally required to appear before the Senate when summoned, especially on matters touching on the use of public resources and county accountability.
He argued that such appearances are not optional and should not be treated as a favour that governors can choose to honour or ignore.
“The Kericho Senator further maintained that oversight of county governments remains a core mandate of the Senate, adding that ongoing discussions between the two levels of leadership should focus on strengthening accountability rather than justifying non-appearance.”
”His remarks come amid rising tensions between senators and governors over summons issued to county chiefs to answer audit and expenditure queries before parliamentary committees.”
COG grilling governors
The COG, during their meeting in Kilifi, announced that going forward they will not be appearing before the Moses Kajwang-led CPAC committee, saying that for a long time, they have been subjected to intimidation and political witch-hunts by the committee.
They stated that they will only resume appearing before the committee after their complaints have been resolved and addressed by the committee.
This comes after governors, in the recent past, have been going through intense grilling by senators, forcing them to lay out facts over the usage of funds by county heads.
The most recent governor to be cornered was Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, who was forced to explain how Ksh3 million was used to light up a Christmas tree by the county government.