IG Kanja bombshell: Why 'rogue' governors remain beyond my reach 

This is after the IG had said his officers will not hesitate in effecting warrants of arrest orders against “rogue” governors snubbing Parliamentary summonses, adding that there is no public officer who is above the law.

However, the police boss pleaded his case revealing that the police had constituted a team of police officers to arrest Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo following a warrant of arrest issued against the county boss by the Senate, only for the first term governor to escape the police dragnet.

In a letter to the Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee on Monday, Mr Kanja was at pains to explain how the governor got wind of the well-planned manhunt.

“I wish to reiterate beforehand that upon receipt of its (the committee) request, I immediately constituted a team of officers to carry out the important assignment. However, the honourable governor apparently got wind of it and successfully evaded our dragnet,” said Mr Kanja in the letter.

The revelations by Mr Kanja appear to confirm a recent drama when police officers staged a siege at City Hall on March 30, 2026 to arrest Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for repeatedly snubbing Parliamentary summonses.

Nonetheless, the governor narrowly escaped after evading officers who had arrived to enforce a Senate committee's arrest warrant for contempt of Parliament.

A contingent of police officers—including Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud and the Police Spokesperson—camped outside City Hall to execute the order. However, it is claimed the governor was tipped off about his imminent arrest before he managed to evade the dragnet.

Interestingly, the first term governor presented himself before Parliament the following day to face the dreaded committee.

The committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ had last month given the IG 10 days to arrest and produce Governor Guyo before it.

The warrant of arrest followed constant snubbing of the committee by the governor who continues to rebuff attempts by the committee to have him account for use of public funds by his administration.

Senator Kajwang’ had said Isiolo County is being run like a criminal enterprise and Governor Guyo has no option but to account for billions of shillings of taxpayers’ money disbursed to the county government with the Auditor-General flagging damning financial improprieties in successive financial years.

Governor Guyo has gained notoriety for snubbing Parliamentary committee appearances and also not cooperating with auditors, incurring several summonses in the process.

He has been at loggerheads with other committees of the Senate where the Health committee directed for his arrest but he rushed to court and obtained conservatory orders stopping his impending arrest. A similar scenario was also witnessed with the Labour committee.

Read: Senators furious with IG Kanja over Isiolo Governor Guyo

Last month, senators threatened to recommend to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to declare Governor Guyo unfit to hold public office.

Apart from Governors Guyo and Sakaja, his counterparts including Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa), Lati Lelelit (Samburu), Amos Nyaribo (Nyamira), Gideon Mung’aro (Kilifi) and Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) have also incurred the wrath of the Senator Kajwang’-led committee over failure to honour summonses.

Mr Kanja was set to appear before the committee on Monday to explain why Governor Guyo had not been arrested despite an existing warrant of arrest being issued.

However, Mr Kanja said he was scheduled to travel to China on an official visit on the same day of his appearance to attend the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Forum in Lianyungang.

“My attendance has already been confirmed and all necessary logistical arrangements finalised. Due to the foregoing I respectfully request the committee to reschedule its sitting for another suitable date,” he said.

The committee has, however, threatened to have him appear before the Senate plenary to explain why he had not arrested Governor Guyo, who has skipped all the Committee's invitations and summonses.

Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo said the IG was contemptuous of Parliament, accusing him of using every available excuse to avoid appearing before the Senate.

She said Governor Guyo has been campaigning across Isiolo in the company of police officers.

“The wording in the letter is not useful at all. It is unfortunate that the impression he creates in the letter is that the NPS is clueless, ineffective and powerless,” said Senator Kajwang’.

He said Governor Guyo is a well-known public figure and that there could be no excuse for the police failing to arrest him.

“The failure by the police to arrest such a known public figure is sending the wrong signal to the public.”

Read: The powerful men, women surrounding Sakaja at City Hall

The proposal to summon the IG before the Committee received the support of Senator Samson Cherarkey, the Vice Chairperson of the Committee.

“We are being mob-lynched by the public on matters of accountability. People think we are not serious,” said the Senator.

“Let’s issue the summons because this is contempt. He has defied the invitation and we should make him appreciate the importance of respecting constitutional institutions.”

Senator Enock Wambua supported calls to escalate the issue and have the IG taken to the Committee of the whole.

In his ruling, Senator Kajwang’ said the IG must appear before the committee and explain why he has failed to arrest Mr Guyo. 

It was also decided that a special report specific to the challenges facing the budgetary issues and accountability specific to Isiolo be prepared and tabled in the House before October. Among the recommendations in the report will be a forensic audit of the county’s finances.

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