Senator Onyonka accuses governors of systematically undermining accountability laws
By Aloys Michael, April 2, 2026Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has accused governors of systematically undermining accountability laws, as the standoff between the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Senate raises concerns over the management of public funds.
Speaking in an interview on a local TV station on Thursday, April 2, 2026, Onyonka said the governance system is completely dysfunctional, particularly in adherence to the Public Finance Management Act (PFM) and Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya.
“Our system is so broken. Nobody follows the Public Finance Management Act. Nobody follows Chapter Six of the Constitution. Manages the financials for our republic has become completely dysfunctional,” he said.
Why would those physical cheques be written? The cheques have been used for kiting money out of the accounts. This money has actually been withdrawn in cash, which is illegal. If we are given an arrest warrant for a governor, what you are seeing is an end product of anger and disappointment within the Senate.”
According to the senator, audit findings by the Office of the Auditor-General reveal widespread irregularities that governors often fail to address before reports are formally tabled in Parliament, adding that audit reports are conclusive documents, but governors are allowed to respond and correct anomalies before they become official records of the House.
He claimed that the cheques were used to siphon money out of county accounts through cash withdrawals, a practice he described as illegal under public finance regulations.
According to Onyonka, much of the money was withdrawn in cash and diverted to individuals, raising serious concerns about transparency and misuse of funds.
The senator said such cases show the Senate’s oversight role, particularly through committees like the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC), which is tasked with scrutinising county expenditures.
However, he expressed frustration that governors frequently fail to appear before these committees when summoned.
Governors escaping accountability?
Instead, Onyonka claimed, some governors resort to public relations tactics, appearing before media outlets to discredit the Senate rather than addressing accountability questions. He described this as a breakdown in institutional respect and a direct challenge to constitutional oversight mechanisms.
The ongoing dispute escalated after the CoG, led by Chair Ahmed Abdullahi, demanded the withdrawal of arrest warrants issued against certain county chiefs. The council condemned what it termed as excessive use of force by the National Police Service during an attempted arrest at City Hall.
Abdullahi maintained that governors’ failure to appear before the committee was a collective decision, taken in protest against what they perceived as unfair treatment by some senators.
But Onyonka dismissed this justification, arguing that the refusal to honour Senate summons only worsens public distrust. He said the visible confrontations, such as attempted arrests, are merely the end product of prolonged frustration within oversight institutions.
“Our system is broken across the board,” he said, noting that accountability challenges are not limited to county governments but extend to Parliament and the national executive as well.
He warned that unless strict adherence to public finance laws is enforced, counties risk becoming centres of unchecked spending and corruption.
The senator called for stronger collaboration between oversight bodies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and investigative agencies to ensure that financial misconduct is prosecuted.