The government’s move to raid the offices of Auditor General Nancy Gathungu and Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o on Thursday has raised concerns about the state of transparency and accountability in Kenya.
This action came just days after both offices released damning reports exposing irregularities and violations in the spending of public funds by both national and county governments.
The reports highlighted mismanagement of resources, questionable procurement processes, and outright violations of financial regulations. In response, Members of Parliament, led by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, launched attacks against the two officials, accusing them of wrongdoing.
Nyakang’o faced the first wave of criticism after releasing her half-year report on county government spending for the first half of the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Ichung’wah alleged that her office was riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, claiming that governors had to pay bribes to have their expenditures approved.
He insisted that without these bribes, governors did not get justice from the Controller of Budget. Junet Mohamed echoed these sentiments, stating that many governors had openly complained about the need to pay bribes to access their funds.
These allegations painted a grim picture of an office that is supposed to ensure prudent use of public funds.
The attacks did not stop with Nyakang’o. Auditor General Nancy Gathungu was also accused of overstepping her mandate. Ichung’wah argued that independent offices like hers should not operate without oversight, warning that unchecked independence could create disorder.
Junet Mohamed further criticized the process through which audit reports are released, arguing that the Auditor General should first seek approval from Parliament before making the reports public.
He warned that releasing reports without such oversight could destroy reputations, especially in cases where delays in document submissions or miscommunications occur.
The timing of these attacks has raised speculation about whether the government is trying to suppress critical oversight bodies to cover up financial mismanagement.
Gathungu’s latest audit on the national government’s performance raised serious concerns about the procurement of technology for the Ksh.104 billion Social Health Authority (SHA). She reported that the procurement process was illegal and that the government did not have control over the system, putting Kenyans’ sensitive data at risk.
This revelation, among others, may have prompted the government’s aggressive response against her office.
Observers believe that the raid on the two offices and the political attacks are part of a broader strategy to silence institutions that expose corruption and financial mismanagement.
The actions of Parliament, especially the coordinated attacks from both the Majority and Minority Leaders, suggest a deliberate effort to undermine the credibility of the Auditor General and the Controller of Budget.
If these offices are weakened, the fight against corruption in Kenya will suffer a major blow, allowing those in power to misuse public funds without being checked. The coming days will determine whether these institutions will stand their ground or succumb to the pressure from the government and Parliament.
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