Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja had difficulty explaining why he missed a previous summons before the Senate committee investigating the implementation of the Nairobi County Government's Urban City Renewal Plan.
The county boss had been fined Ksh.500,000 for ignoring the committee's summons earlier. Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna did not shy away from accusing Sakaja of being rude to Nairobi County citizens.
It all started when Sakaja stated that he could not honor the previous summons because he had traveled out of the country.
Did you read this?
Sifuna implied that the Governor's claim of leaving the nation was insufficient and that he owed an apology to the affected residents.
"I don't think it is fair for you Governor to just tell the people of Nairobi that you had travelled. All these people I can assure you that Sakaja knows all these leaders individually and they are the ones who are disappointed," said Sifuna.
The leaders appeared before the committee on behalf of citizens harmed by the plan's implementation, which they opposed.
"For me really I don't mind because as you know I don't live in any of those estates. We bring these matters before the Senate not on our behalf but on behalf of these people and they are the people who have been disappointed and are the people you owe an apology," Sifuna added.
Sifuna accused the Governor of not prioritizing essential and relevant problems, saying that this was one of the reasons behind a proposal before the Senate to have severe sanctions for Governors 'like Sakaja'.
The Senator criticized the Ksh.500,000 fine for skipping the summons, claiming it was insufficient. He asked the Senate to increase sanctions for individuals who failed to appear before parliamentary committees and urged Parliament to have the authority to arrest non-compliant individuals.
