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UPDATE: Nairobi City County Governor Johnson Sakaja has dismissed reports that he “ran away” from the police to evade arrest on Monday evening.
“Who is in the office at 7 pm? They were looking for me, yet I am here at the Senate as required. I have no problem with the Senate. There is just an issue that needs to be resolved. I have nothing to run away from,” Sakaja insisted.
He was speaking after presenting himself to the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, a day after the incident.
Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson had pushed back against the move by the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to deploy officers for his arrest.
In a statement released Monday, March 30, Sakaja termed the action “unwarranted and unnecessary,” insisting the matter at hand is institutional, not personal.
The Nairobi Governor said the arrest order arising from his failure to appear before a Senate watchdog committee ignores an ongoing standoff between the Council of Governors and the Senate of Kenya.
“The issue at hand is not a personal matter concerning Governor Sakaja Johnson, but one that is being handled collectively by the Council of Governors,” the statement read.
Sakaja defended his absence, saying he was acting on guidance from the Council of Governors, which advised members not to appear before the specific Senate committee until broader concerns are resolved.
He argued that disputes between governors and senators “should be addressed institutionally… not through actions targeting an individual governor.”
At the same time, he noted he has appeared before multiple Senate committees, including the Lands and Environment Committee as recently as last week, and has frequently engaged the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) on audit issues dating back to 2015.
“It is therefore misleading to single out one Governor in a matter that is collective and consultative in nature,” he said.
Sakaja Criticizes Timing of Police Deployment
The Governor also criticized the manner in which police were deployed, questioning the timing and necessity of the operation.
Sakaja stated that he had been in office throughout the day and remained accessible through official channels but the officers were sent at night.
“There is no justification for creating unnecessary drama or a show of force at night,” the statement said.
Governors Skipping Summons
Sakaja further revealed that the standoff extends beyond Nairobi, disclosing that 29 governors had been summoned by the same Senate committee on the same day, with only two appearing and even then declining to address substantive matters in line with the Council’s position.
The dispute, he says, stems from unresolved issues raised by Governors against members of the CPAC committee, including allegations of “extortion and intimidation.”
Despite the escalating tension, Sakaja signaled willingness to engage once the institutional disagreements are resolved.
“The Nairobi Governor has always honoured invitations to appear before Senate committees and remains committed to doing so within the confines of the law,” the statement concluded.
He called for restraint and dialogue, urging both the Senate and the Council of Governors to resolve the impasse “amicably, respectfully, and through structured dialogue,” rather than escalating enforcement actions.
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Police outside the Nairobi governor’s office on March 30, 2026 to arrest over a Senate summon/EZEKIEL AMING’A
