MPs fire back at Controller of Budget and Auditor General with corruption allegations
Junet accused the offices of the Auditor General and that of the Controller of Budget of overstepping their mandates and fuelling a culture of public mistrust.
In a clear attack on accountability, Members of Parliament fired retaliatory shots at the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o and Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, accusing them of corruption.
Led by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah and Minority Leader Junet Mohammed, the legislators responded to recent reports from the two offices exposing massive misappropriations in government expenditures, especially in the procurement of the healthcare IT system powering the Social Health Authority (SHA).
More To Read
- Weak fiscal discipline in counties as 43 governors spend public funds on unapproved uses
- Garissa, Wajir, Samburu among six top counties exceeding revenue targets
- 'Broke' Nairobi MCAs storm City Hall offices in desperation over delayed funds
- Controller of Budget launches investigations into suspect bank accounts in counties
"The office of the CoB needs to style up. If you ask any governor, he or she will tell you (that) without parting with money or paying bribes to officers in that office, they don't get justice. Governors are suffering because of inefficiencies and corruption in the office of the CoB. They have to bribe officers in that office to have their expenditures approved," said Ichung'wah.
He then continued his onslaught, questioning the timing of the reports and the “misguided” independence of the two offices.
"Because they are independent offices, they think the world will come crumbling down. Their independence cannot go without being checked," he asserted as other MPs cheered on.
Ichung'wah also threw jabs at journalists, accusing them of inaccurate reporting of facts after a viral social media post alleged that he had introduced a motion on the floor of the House seeking to oust the Auditor General.
"The media should stop using propaganda to sell their otherwise slow-moving newspapers," he retorted.
On his part, Junet accused the offices of the Auditor General and that of the Controller of Budget of overstepping their mandates and fuelling a culture of public mistrust.
He further questioned the rationale behind releasing such sensitive reports that allegedly tainted government institutions without first engaging relevant oversight bodies, including Parliament.
"That culture will destroy people's names without recourse when the issue may simply be a delay in the submission of documents, or miscommunication. Why then does the auditor need Parliament's approval before publishing reports?" asked Junet.
Top Stories Today
