Governors Must Appear Before the Public Accounts Committee: Accountability Is Not Optional

By Dr. Luchetu Likaka – Researcher and Political Analyst

The growing chorus of governors claiming they should not appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is not only troubling, it is a direct assault on the rule of law and the very idea of public accountability. The law is unambiguous.

Oversight by Parliament, exercised through committees such as PAC, is a constitutional and statutory obligation, not a courtesy extended at the convenience of public officials. Governors are custodians of public resources, not sovereign entities beyond scrutiny.

The argument that county executives should be insulated from parliamentary oversight collapses the moment one reads the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act, and related statutes.

These legal instruments clearly establish Parliament’s authority to oversee the use of public funds across all levels of government.

Devolution did not abolish accountability; it decentralized service delivery while retaining national oversight to safeguard public interest. To argue otherwise is either ignorance of the law or a deliberate attempt to evade scrutiny.

Governors Should Table Evidence on Extortion Claims

More worrying is the convenient narrative now being advanced by some governors: that PAC and Senate oversight processes are merely extortion rackets run by corrupt senators.

If these allegations are true, then courage, not theatrics, is required. Let the governors name the senators allegedly demanding bribes.

Let evidence be tabled. Anonymous accusations and press conferences are not acts of integrity; they are political smokescreens designed to delegitimize oversight institutions while avoiding hard questions about missing billions.

The President himself has, on more than one occasion, accused the bicameral Parliament of corruption.

If that is indeed the case, then this is the moment to “slay the dragon,” not dance around it.

A serious reform agenda demands transparency from all sides: legislators, governors, cabinet secretaries, and accounting officers alike.

Corruption cannot be fought selectively, nor can it be used tactically as a shield by those under investigation.

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Auditor-General’s Reports

At the center of this charade lie Auditor-General’s reports, detailed, evidence-based documents that repeatedly flag massive irregularities, unsupported expenditures, inflated procurement, and outright theft of public funds.

Year after year, these reports are released, debated briefly, politicized, and then quietly ignored.

Instead of answering audit queries, implicated officials manufacture procedural disputes, jurisdictional arguments, and victimhood narratives.

These side shows are not accidental; they are deliberate distractions.

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County Heads With Nothing to Hide

Public office is not a privilege to be defended with arrogance; it is a trust to be exercised with humility.

Governors who have nothing to hide should welcome oversight as an opportunity to clear their names and strengthen public confidence.

Those who resist scrutiny only deepen public suspicion and reinforce the perception that devolution, noble in design, is being hollowed out by elite capture and impunity.

This country cannot afford governance by gimmicks.

The law must be obeyed. Audits must be taken seriously. Oversight must be respected.

And corruption, whether in county governments or in Parliament, must be confronted openly, named plainly, and punished decisively. Anything less is an insult to taxpayers and a betrayal of constitutional democracy.

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Dr. Luchetu Likaka PhD is a Distinguished Consultant Criminologist and Sociologist, Boasting over 15 years of Experience in the Field. PHOTO/ Luchetu Likaka