The incident occurred during a sitting of the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, which had summoned Governor Sakaja to explain the county’s choice of banking partners and the criteria used to manage public funds.
The committee sought clarity on why specific banks were selected and whether the county had pursued the most favourable and secure financial arrangements for Nairobi residents.
From the onset, Sifuna and Onyonka adopted a firm line of questioning, demanding concrete evidence that the decisions were based on competitive evaluation rather than personal or political considerations.
The two senators argued that Nairobi’s financial practices must be fully transparent, especially given the county’s large payroll, extensive service delivery obligations, and history of procurement controversies.
The session took a confrontational turn when nominated Senator Margaret Jepkoech Kamar intervened, urging the committee to maintain order and adhere to its agenda.
Her remarks, aimed at curbing what she viewed as unproductive exchanges, were met with resistance from Sifuna and Onyonka, who felt the intervention diluted the urgency of the financial accountability concerns they had raised.
“We are here to interrogate Nairobi’s financial management, not to be redirected to unrelated matters,” Sifuna insisted, moments before rising to leave.
Onyonka joined him, and the pair exited the room, briefly halting the proceedings as other committee members tried to restore calm.
Governor Sakaja, who remained before the committee, sought to defend his administration’s actions.
He maintained that the county’s banking choices were lawful, pragmatic, and intended to ensure stable salary processing, streamlined operations, and overall administrative efficiency.
According to Sakaja, the county had reviewed several banking proposals and settled on options that offered the most reliable services for government transactions.
He assured the committee that his office was ready to supply all supporting documents, including evaluation reports, to demonstrate that the decisions were made in the public’s interest.
The dramatic walkout ultimately underscored growing friction over Nairobi’s financial governance, signalling that the debate over the county’s management of public resources is far from over.
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