With jest and pride, Governor Abdi Ibrahim Hassan impressed the Public Accounts Committee sitting at Bunge Plaza as he convinced the Committee chaired by Hon Senator Kajwang, with eloquent, polished Queens English, that he is firm on the steer of Isiolo County Government as he rendered into disrepute and put to shame, the petty rhetorics surrounding the29th April date that had earlier been painted as a D- day for his Administration, the day of his arrests and such like shenanigans.

The Governor rendered Isiolo Senator Hon. Fatuma Adan Dullo, basically on her knees pleading with the Chair to help her secure recognition from the Governor, posing that she’s lost face in the very Isiolo she represents in the Senate.

Does the Governor recognize me and my very role as the Senator charged with oversight of the County Government of Isiolo? She posed as she explained that she’s been so demeaned, and gets lynched streetwise, that she feels threatened walking the streets of Isiolo.

The Senators listened with awe and surprise, the Senator Dulo’s narratives that bordered the feelings of being unsafe owing to threats of her very existence posing absence of recognition and what she described as the Governor’s dismissive attitude towards her.

Governor Abdi Ibrahim, with absolute sobriety, created an aura that all is well in Isiolo and he is quite cognizant and duly respects ” my Senator” as well as the valuable role of every constitutional institutions including the Senate, The County Assembly, The Auditor General, the Controller of Budget and basically all the structures of Devolution charged with oversight and making devolution work.

Senator Sifuna  started by asking the Governor if he is uncomfortable with the consistency of the Committee or any member of the Committee, to which the Governor responded that he is ok with the Committee members.

The Governor apologized for failure to appear before the Committee on the 8th March and of course the aftermath of that happening, the castigation of the Committee in the media circles and all.

The Committee in turn, accepted his apology but withheld the five hundred thousand fine, for failure to appear before the Committee for four consecutive sittings.

As Senator Sifuna suggested that the fine should be waived, considering that Governor Guyo is a first offender, Senator Fatuma pointed a finger at him, posing that he is acting as an advocate for the Governor.

Majority then ruled the fine should be paid anyway and the hullabaloo about the standoff came to a dead end as the Committee delved into the nucleus of the matter, the Audit Querry raised by the Office of the Auditor General on the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 Financial year.

Chief Officer Finance, Habiba Jirmo was quite confident taking the Committee through volumes of documents, annexes and more, going deep into technicalities of the Accounting world.

After hours of nitty- gritty details, questions and clarities, the Committee deliberated that the Office of the Auditor General and the County Executive should sit together, ascertain the available documents and missing ones, and get to the bottom of the matter in view to deliberate proper reconciliation of the Accounting documents.

The Committee therefore adjourned the sitting and the Chair said they will communicate another date for conclusion of the matter.

Meanwhile the harsh street deliberation, declarations of hate, the disparaging innuendos and falsehoods that saturated the aura disappeared in thin air as the social media goons and their miserable perpetrators folded their tails and went silent throughout the remainder of the day and the following night.

The streets of Isiolo were greeted with pomp and celebrations while the opposing forces and their intolerant shenanigan rhetoric retired from the high street early into their domicile embarrassed, disappointed and shamed.

Back at the newly inaugurated Bunge Towers, hundreds of supporters of Governor Abdi Ibrahim went into celebrations, group photos and bracing shoulders with PAC members, (save for the culprit Isiolo Senator who remained locked up in the Committee Room) long after the compound was vacated to the last man/ woman.

Interactions, hugs and embrace with the Senators Sifuna, Omtata, Kajwang and more, filled the air, outside the building and on the way to the parking bay.

Wabillahi Towfiq