Standoff In Senate As Governor Muthomi Njuki Fails To Read His Own Report, Claims He Can't See

• Tharaka Nithi governor Muthomi Njuki brought the Senate to laughter when he failed to read his own financial report
• When asked why he couldn't read the document, he cited vision problems, stating he had not brought his glasses
• This sent the Senate into laughter, with some claiming that Njuki only developed vision problems when he was asked to read the report

A standoff occurred in the Senate when Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki declined to read a report he had submitted, claiming he could not see properly.

How did Njuki drama go down at the Senate?

Njuki appeared before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) to address concerns raised in an Auditor General's report.

During his appearance on Monday, September 9, Njuki was supposed to explain Tharaka Nithi's financial statements for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 fiscal years.

Njuki's appearance was part of the Senate's ongoing oversight efforts to promote accountability and transparency in the management of county funds.

During the proceedings, Njuki was asked to read the description in his report aloud. After examining the document for some time, he stated that he couldn't see properly.

"Chair I need a pair of glasses. I didn't carry one," Njuki said.

As soon as he made the statement, the committee erupted in laughter. Njuki insisted that the text in his report was too small to read.

"The words are too small, I can't read this chair. This is not a joke chair," he affirmed.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna questioned whether it was appropriate to continue the meeting if the governor was unable to read.

He added that since the session began in the morning, he had not seen Njuki struggle to read until he was asked to read a section of Tharaka Nithi's financial statements.

"I don't know if we can give him some tea to drink. Maybe the sugar levels has affected his eyes, cause this is quite surprising," Sifuna said.

Despite uncertainty among committee members about the governor's sight, Njuki continued to insist he could not read the words in the report because they were in small fonts.

Njuki ranked most-performing governor

In a separate report, Njuki and his Kisumu counterpart, Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, were rated as the best-performing governors.

In the survey findings released on Thursday, January 25, by Timely Kenya, Njuki and Nyong'o emerged as the best in offering quality healthcare services.

The survey, which involved 7,550 respondents, aimed to determine the state of healthcare services in counties.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke