The Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has summoned Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja after he failed to arrest and produce Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit. The summons followed a Senate directive that the governor appear before the committee to answer audit and accountability queries.
CPAC chairperson Senator Moses Kajwang’ accused IG Kanja of ignoring lawful directives from Parliament. He said the inspector general must appear before the committee within seven days to explain why he has not implemented Senate resolutions.
The summons comes amid accusations that the inspector general’s inaction undermines Parliament’s oversight authority. Senators said the police must not operate under a “different constitutional order.”
Governor Lelelit’s Contempt Case
Governor Lati Lelelit has repeatedly ignored CPAC summons to appear before the committee to explain how billions of shillings were spent in the 2023/24 financial year.
On December 4, 2025, the committee fined the governor Ksh500,000 for failing to appear. It then directed the IG to locate and arrest the governor and produce him before the committee by December 18.
In a letter dated December 18, 2025, the inspector general told the committee he could not trace the governor, and therefore could not execute the arrest order.
CPAC again directed the police boss to find and produce the governor before the committee on January 26, 2026. The inspector general neither responded nor produced the governor.
In response to the summons, Governor Lelelit wrote to CPAC explaining he was attending a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi.
Senators, however, said attending a party meeting did not qualify as a justifiable reason for ignoring parliamentary summons. Samburu Senator Steven Lelegwe confirmed the governor was at the State House meeting.
Oversight, Constitutional Powers, and Fine Enforcement
The Senate committee sees its role as a constitutional requirement to oversee public resources and county financial management.
Under the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, Parliament may order the arrest of a person who fails to honour a summons.
Senator Kajwang’ said the committee will not tolerate contempt of Parliament by either the governor or the inspector general. CPAC members said the inspector general’s failure to execute the arrest directive weakened parliamentary oversight. They said police must support Senate work rather than frustrate it.
Wider Context of Governor Accountability
Senators said the governor’s refusal to appear undermined efforts to hold county leaders accountable for public funds.
The Office of the Auditor‑General told the committee that Samburu County had not responded to audit recommendations for financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Some senators criticised the explanation given by the governor and the inspector general as insufficient to clear contempt charges.
Senators also floated the idea of invoking constitutional measures if repeated contempt continues, stressing that oversight without enforcement weakens accountability.
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