Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja became the subject of a high-stakes police manhunt in late March 2026, following his repeated defiance of summons from the Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) regarding the Nairobi County Government's finances for the 2024/2025 financial year.

The situation escalated when the PAC directed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to intervene, leading to an order for Sakaja's arrest and presentation before the Senate.

On March 30, 2026, law enforcement agencies, including Nairobi Regional DCI Dan Kandie, Regional Police Commander Issa Muhamud, National Police Service Spokesperson Michael Muchiri, and SP Adan Bagaja, converged outside Governor Sakaja's City Hall office in Nairobi.

Regional Police Commander Issa Mohammud informed journalists that officers were camping at the premises to execute the arrest warrant.

An attempt to apprehend the governor at his office on Monday evening failed, as Sakaja reportedly evaded officers despite a tip-off about his location.

Had the evening ambush succeeded, the governor would have spent the night in police custody.

Mohammud dismissed suggestions of a 'witch-hunt,' asserting the legality of the operation.

"This operation is legal. The Senate has powers to issue summons and we also have an arrest warrant. We will present the governor to have his day before the committee," he stated, emphasizing the need for compliance for the dignity of the office.

Police confirmed that the search for Sakaja had been ongoing for much of the day as he repeatedly evaded capture.

Governor Sakaja's defiance, which the committee deemed contempt of parliament, came after he had previously been fined Sh500,000 for failing to appear at a scheduled sitting.

In his defense, Sakaja stated that his failure to attend was in line with a Council of Governors (CoG) directive.

This directive bars members from appearing before the committee until the Senate leadership addresses their grievances, which include accusations of extortion and public humiliation against the Senator Moses Kajwang'-led committee.

"There is no justification for creating unnecessary drama or a show of force at night," Sakaja argued, adding that an arrest was "unwarranted and unnecessary."

Sakaja highlighted that on the day of the attempted arrest, 29 governors were summoned before the County Public Accounts Committee, with only two appearing and declining to address substantive matters in line with the CoG's position.

Several governors have called for the committee to be reconstituted and four of its members dropped.

Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga confirmed that a similar operation was simultaneously targeting Samburu Governor Lati Lelelit, who had also failed to honor PAC summons.

The standoff placed immense pressure on the committee, which had until Tuesday to conclude its review of county accounts for the 2024/2025 financial year.

In a related development on the same day, March 30, 2026, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi appeared before the Senate Devolution Committee, defending a Sh80 billion cooperation agreement between the national government and Nairobi County Government, describing it as a lawful and constitutionally grounded framework designed to address some of the challenges facing the city.

This defense underscored the broader context of governance and financial arrangements impacting Nairobi County amidst the ongoing accountability disputes.