Bomet governor Hillary Barchok on Sunday opened up and dismissed as ‘inconsequential’ the arrest order issued by some senators against him for allegedly failing to honor summons.
Barchok said he was not aware of what he was being summoned to go and answer before the Senate’s committee on roads and transport adding he only read about in the dailies.
Insisting he is not going to honor the calls, the governor said he was yet to be served with an official summon and that his position and of all other governors through the council was that they are not going to appear in separate committees apart from the public accounts and investment committee.
“We already have a common stand as the council of governors on this matter, it is not my position as Bomet…Senate has about 20 committees and there is no way we can be appearing in all of them yet we answer most of the questions required by these committees at the public accounts and investment committee,” said Barchok.
The committee had on Thursday directed inspector general of police Hillary Mutyambai to arrest Barchok and drag him to the panel for failing to heed the summon.
Others summoned are Sospeter Ojaamong (Busia), Ali Roba (Mandera), Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu), Paul Chepkwony (Kericho), Okoth Obado (Migori) and James Ongwae (Kisii).
Counties had received Sh17 billion from the roads maintenance fuel levy funds.
But, speaking after a church service at Deliverance church in Bomet, the county chief further as the COG they have already written to the Speaker of the Senate informing him of the position over the matter.
"What I am going to Senate for and based on which report? let them come here to the county first so that they can have a basis for calling me," he posed
He, however, challenged the members of the particular committee to tour his county to access how the roads projects were done and if the funds were prudently spent.
He noted that as far as he was concerned, the auditor general had in his report given Bomet a clean bill on the usage of funds since he took over unlike how it was in the previous administration.
Speaking separately, Bomet senator Christopher Langat said he was yet to be served with the report about the county from the relevant committee so that he can make a judgment over it.
He also urged the committee members to come to the ground and meet the relevant committee at the county assembly.
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