Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has issued a 7-day ultimatum to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to appear before the Senate after calling off an earlier invite.

Speaking during a Public Accounts Committee sitting on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Cherargei voiced his disappointment, saying the meeting with the governor meant to probe a number of county issues was abruptly cancelled despite senators having prepared for days.

He noted that some senators even travelled from different parts of their jurisdictions to Nairobi, only for the meeting to be called off. On the same day, Governor Sakaja was holding a consensus meeting with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in an effort to reconcile with Nairobi MCAs, who in recent days had threatened to impeach him.

“On Monday, some of us travelled to Nairobi for a meeting with Nairobi City County; it was unfortunate that we received notice of cancellation later in the day,” Cherargei stated.

While acknowledging the political woes the governor is currently facing, Cherargei stated that the best way to resolve such issues is through constitutionally recognised avenues such as the Senate and not through unofficial forums, which he dismissed as “kangaroo meetings”.

“I understand what Sakaja is going through; I thought the right channels to engage constitutionally recognised avenues,” he stated.

Cherargei’s directive to Sakaja

The senator went on to issue an ultimatum to the governor, demanding that he appear before the Senate committee within the next seven days.

He emphasised that the Senate’s sole interest is to ensure that monies appropriated by Parliament for Nairobi are properly utilised, and that is why the committee expects the governor to account for all funds allocated to the county.

“The reason why this committee is here is because it wants to look into the audit queries. If a small county like Lamu can appear before the Senate, what about Nairobi? Let the respect of the role of the Senate be respected. It can’t be that we come, wait to do a meeting, and then it’s cancelled. Therefore, the Governor of Nairobi, I request humbly, should appear before this committee,” Cheragei stated.

Cherargei further criticised Nairobi MCAs, questioning whether they can be taken seriously in the future after they agreed to suspend the impeachment motion. According to him, senators had expected the matter to be brought before the Senate, where it would have been handled with the seriousness it deserved.