Sifuna blocked from grilling Sakaja during committee session

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was on Thursday blocked from questioning Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on matters outside the day's agenda during a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget.

The governor had appeared before the committee to respond to concerns raised by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) regarding procurement practices and pending bills within Nairobi county.

The committee, chaired by Mandera Senator Ali Roba, had concluded its scheduled business and was preparing to adjourn when Sifuna sought permission to ask the governor additional questions.

The Nairobi senator said the issues he intended to raise were financial and were already in the public domain, although they were not part of the order paper before the committee.

"You know chair we are all senators and one time you will find yourself before a committee that I'm chairing and your governor will be there. I want to ask for very special indulgence because the people of Nairobi expect us to ask questions to the governor when he's here," Sifuna said.

He argued that the appearance provided a rare opportunity for accountability and that he should be allowed to raise the concerns under the Any Other Business (AOB) agenda.

"So, I wanted to request the committee to indulge me to raise an AOB because the governor is here, it's a matter that has to do with financials and if he's unprepared to answer it it's fine but it's a matter that's in the public domain," he said.

Sifuna suggested that Sakaja could provide a brief response if he was not adequately prepared to answer the questions in detail.

However, Roba declined the request, insisting that committees must adhere to established procedures and only handle matters that have been formally scheduled for consideration.

"Every committee has its own decorum on how it carries its mandate. I have a responsibility as the chair of the committee to prosecute matters before me that the committee was engaged with. I cannot allow fishing expedition and side questions that I'm not prepared to prosecute right now," Roba ruled.

The committee chair said allowing senators to introduce fresh matters without notice would undermine orderly proceedings and deny invited guests an opportunity to prepare adequately.

Roba added that granting Sifuna's request would effectively invite chaos into committee operations because the governor had not been informed of the issues the senator wished to raise.

Sifuna maintained that AOB was included in the committee agenda and argued that he was entitled to introduce the matter.

"Surely, even if it's my first time in Parliament, you cannot refuse a matter that's on the agenda," he said.

Despite the protest, Roba remained firm, saying any issue of public concern could be considered at a later date through the proper committee processes.

He indicated that the committee could schedule another session and formally invite the governor if the matters Sifuna wished to raise required further scrutiny.

"In as far as prosecution of the agenda before us is concerned, I would guide that the meeting is adjourned on the basis of the guidance I have given to PPRA," Roba said.

"Governor and team you are excused to leave," he added.

Sifuna appeared visibly disappointed by the ruling, shaking his head in disapproval as Sakaja flashed a grin, rose from his seat and exited the committee room with his team.

The exchange came a day after another setback for Sifuna within the Senate. On Wednesday, the embattled ODM secretary general was removed from the Senate Energy Committee chaired by Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, amid an ongoing dispute over the management and direction of the party.

Sifuna was replaced on the committee by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang'. Unlike other senators affected by the reshuffle, he was not assigned to another committee, reducing his committee representation.

He is now a member of only two Senate committees: the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, which is chaired by Kajwang', and the Senate National Security, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo.

The latest developments highlight Sifuna's increasingly difficult position within both Senate committee structures and the broader ODM leadership wrangles, even as he continues to enjoy growing popularity as a vocal critic on matters of governance and public accountability under the Linda Mwananchi wing.