War of words as Guyo, Olekina clash at Senate committee meeting

Drama unfolded at a Senate committee meeting when Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo and Narok Senator Ledama Olekina engaged in a bitter exchange.

The shouting march started when the governor attempted to dismiss claims that he was presiding over an incompetent administration, as alleged by some members of the Senate County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee.

“Mr chairman, I was elected in Nairobi for three terms as an MCA. You can't be elected for that long if you are incompetent,” Guyo said.

Olekina burst into a rage, telling the governor to stop his narration and instead respond to the issues raised.

“Stop digressing. Address the issues that have been raised. Who cares where you had been elected? Some of us do serious oversight in this committee. Don't tell us about your election as an MCA,” Olekina shouted as he banged the table.

 “You cannot intimidate me for being elected an MCA. Some of us do serious oversight work here. We burn the midnight oil going through these documents. You cannot disrespect this House.” 

Committee chairman Godfrey Osotsi failed to rule the two out of order failed as they continued to fire at each other, disrupting the proceedings.

“You can't intimidate me Ledama, you can't. I was elected by the people, not to come here to be intimidated. You cannot intimidate me, Senator Olekina. Go and intimidate the people of Narok, not me,” the governor said.

Eventually, Osotsi adjourned the meeting as the two continued to fire salvos at each other while other members, a delegation from Isiolo, Senate staff and the media watched in disbelief.

Governor Guyo appeared before the committee to explain how the county spent money bursaries, emergency funds and youth, women and people with disability funds.

The funds were for 2019-2020, 2020-21 and 2021-22 financial years.

The heated exchange came after the chairman ordered Auditor General Nancy Gathungu to conduct a special audit on various funds operated by the county government.

The governor only responded to queries on the county bursary funds, explaining there were neither laws nor structures to operate the other funds.

“The committee directs the Auditor General to conduct a special audit on the issues that we want audited. The committee will write to the Auditor General on the issues,” Osotsi said.

The development comes after the panel dismissed as substandard responses by the governor to the audit queries on the county bursary fund.

The documents, the committee noted, were neither signed nor addressed to the Senate.

“These are a nobody’s documents,” Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo said.

Olekina and Migori Senator Eddy Oketch recommended the dissolution of the county as they dismissed the Isiolo administration as dysfunctional.

The duo called for the summoning of former Governor Mohamed Kuti under whose tenure the audit queries were raised.

“Article 192 of the Constitution provides that a county can be suspended under exceptional circumstances, including dysfunctionality. These responses are mediocre and an embarrassment to the people of Isiolo,” Oketch said.

Senator Olekina said, "Why do you accept documents not signed to be brought to this Senate? We want a special audit of these funds because we cannot be playing with the lives of pastoralists.”

However, Governor Guyo protested the assertions as harsh and unfair given that he took office in 2022, several years after the audit.

“I know the buck stops with me, but you cannot expect me as governor to go and produce statements where there is none,” Guyo said.

The first-term county chief said that he was an MCA in Nairobi when the auditor raised the queries over the funds in Isiolo.

“You cannot expect me to produce documents for 2017 when I was an MCA in Nairobi,” the governor said.