By Joshua Otieno | April 1, 2026
A dramatic standoff unfolded at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi after Senate Speaker Amason Kingi ordered the immediate arrest of Samburu Governor Jonathan Lati Lelelit over an active warrant issued against him.
The Speaker directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the governor to the Parliament Police Station to record a statement after he was spotted داخل the precincts despite failing to honor Senate summons.
Chaos erupted outside the Senate gates when a group of senators attempted to physically restrain the governor from leaving. Among those involved were Edwin Sifuna, Enoch Wambua, and Richard Onyonka, leading to a brief scuffle that drew the attention of security officers and the public.
The confrontation interrupted a media briefing by Governor Lelelit, who had begun addressing journalists to explain his absence from Senate proceedings. As tensions rose, senators were heard urging him to comply, saying, “Governor, don’t speak outside. It is us you came to see. Come inside.”
Despite the efforts to detain him, the governor reportedly resisted and managed to break free, fleeing across Parliament Road in a dramatic turn of events.
The arrest order stems from a warrant issued by the Senate County Public Accounts Committee over Lelelit’s repeated failure to appear and respond to audit queries concerning the use of county funds for the 2023/24 financial year.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot defended the move, warning against continued defiance. “We cannot allow a situation where a governor ignores summons and then walks freely within Parliament. Action had to be taken before he disappears again,” he stated.
Governor Lelelit, however, maintained his innocence, arguing that his absence was not deliberate. “I was scheduled to appear before two different committees at the same time. It was humanly impossible to attend both,” he said.
The incident comes amid rising tensions between the Senate and the Council of Governors. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is also facing a similar arrest warrant for failing to appear before the same committee.
Council of Governors Chair Ahmed Abdullahi criticized the Senate’s actions, terming them excessive. “What we are witnessing is unwarranted use of force and political theatricality that undermines intergovernmental relations,” he said.
By Wednesday evening, security had been heightened, with reports indicating that police had cordoned off the governor’s offices in Maralal and were monitoring his residences in Nairobi as efforts to apprehend him continued.
