Barasa calls for mutual respect between governors and senators

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa addresses faithful during Easter mass at Holy Spirit Bulimbo Catholic church in Matungu, on April 5, 2026. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has welcomed the recent truce between the Senate and the Council of Governors (CoG), terming it a critical step toward resolving the standoff over county oversight and accountability.

Speaking in Lugari during the commissioning of the Munyuki Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centre and Marakusi Dispensary, Governor Barasa said the agreement signals a new chapter in relations between the two institutions and will enhance the effectiveness of devolution.

The governor thanked both the Senate and the CoG for reaching a consensus, noting that the impasse had slowed down key engagements necessary for improving governance at the county level while expressing optimism that the renewed cooperation will strengthen oversight mechanisms while ensuring smooth delivery of services to people.

“We welcome the reconciliation between the senate leadership and council of governors because, for governors, we are ready to appear before the senate, but the senate process must be conducted with mutual respect for governors,” said Barasa.

The governor emphasised that county leaders are not opposed to appearing before Senate committees, reiterating that accountability is a core pillar of devolution but called for decorum and respect during Senate sessions to foster productive dialogue between national and county leadership.

"We are not afraid, and we are not running away from accountability and responsibilities, and we are ready to be held accountable," said Barasa.

Barasa further noted that improved collaboration between the senators and governors would play a vital role in addressing challenges facing counties, including resource allocation, project implementation, and service delivery and ensure that devolution achieves its intended purpose of bringing services closer to the people.

"We want to thank the team that conducted reconciliation, and I want to assure senators that as the defenders of devolution, we are going to work together so that we can work for our people and actualise the dream of bringing development to our people at the grassroots level," said Barasa.

The governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving infrastructure and social services, highlighting the commissioning of the ECDE centre and dispensary as part of ongoing efforts to enhance access to education and healthcare in Kakamega County.

However, last week most senators said they were kept in the dark over the truce.

Most senators were irked when the Senate Majority Leader, Aaron Cheruiyot, brought up the matter while urging members to support the Division of Revenue Bill that seeks to ensure counties get additional funds in this financial year.

Cheruiyot, while speaking on the floor of the House, said that the matter was now behind them after the Senate leadership and the Council of Governors held a series of meetings, something that did not go down well with senators who accused the leadership of keeping them in the dark.

The Senate Majority Leader said that they have been holding meetings with the CoG for the last two weeks, where they agreed that governors should resume appearances before the Senate committees whenever called upon.

Cheruiyot said that they had certain demands that they wanted CoG to meet before they could have any engagement with representation from both the Senate County Public Accounts and Senate County Public Investment and Special Funds Committees, well represented.

“The approval of the Division of Revenue Bill is very important for the counties to run smoothly. Currently, we have a recommendation from the National Assembly for them to get Sh420 billion, while we need to push that amount to at least Sh450 billion by being ready to move to the mediation stage with our sister house," said Cheruiyot.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna faulted the House leadership for not informing members of the engagement saying it was wrong to ambush them on the floor over the agreement without even holding a Kamukunji to inform them of the development.

Sifuna said that the CoG had defamed some senators and that if they had called a press conference to announce their climb down over their earlier stance and issued an apology to the affected members, the situation could be different in the House.

Governors had boycotted Senate committees' sessions, alleging some senators were requesting bribes and harassing them, a move that angered senators who maintained that they would continue to hold governors accountable for misuse of public funds.

The Senate’s County Public Accounts Committee had earlier said it was worried that governors had continued to ignore summons.

Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi said governors will be forced to appear once summoned and that they have 30 days to comply.

He said the standoff reflects negatively on both cadres of leadership, where the one that is supposed to investigate corruption is being accused of the vice.

SCPAC chair Moses Kajwang said some governors would rather pay a Sh500,000 fine than face scrutiny.