Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna denied rumors of a potential gubernatorial seat bid, stating he is fulfilling his mandate and has not initiated early campaigns.
“I have said it publicly, I am not interested in being governor of Nairobi. I am happy with the job that I have been given as Senator of Nairobi,” Sifuna said.
Senator Sifuna said the summons issued to Governor Johnson Sakaja to appear before the Senate is not a witch-hunt.
“It is not a witch-hunt against anybody if I request that so and so appear before a certain committee or before the full house,” Sifuna said.
He said the Senate summons are not for the discussions of trivial matters, adding that impending the oversight duty of a senator is a serious matter.
Sifuna said at the energy committee, they need to interrogate Sakaja on the Mradi explosion.
Likewise at the housing committee, they needed him to answer questions regarding the urban regeneration programme.
Further, the Senate also wanted to interrogate Sakaja on the reports of the Auditor General when they summoned him at the public accounts committee.
“When he fails to appear, he is impending the capacity of the Senate to do its oversight job. We want to sit down with Sakaja. We understand that some of the issues happened before he was governor,” he said.
Sifuna explained that the House is simply looking to understand the issues raised, saying it is normal for governors to appear before Parliament Committees.
Sakaja has been fined Sh1 million for allegedly snubbing Senate summons.
On Tuesday, Sakaja said he had appeared before the Senate more than his predecessors blaming the skipping on scheduling.
“The Senate was aware of my trip last week, it is a normal trip. The Professionals Association knows where City Hall is and I’m always available to meet them,” he said.
“I think it is a matter of scheduling, I have gone to the Senate more than 11 times and more than any governor in the last year.”
Sakaja said he has missed only two or three sessions out of the 14 summons served.
“All communication is official, is just that they sensationalise a meeting that is missed.”
