Governors-MCA alliances undermining oversight, fueling corruption, warns Controller of Budget

Governors in some counties are using their alliances with Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) to avoid accountability, weakening oversight and fueling corruption, according to Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o.

Nyakang’o, speaking at the fifth legislative summit led by the County Assemblies Forum in Nairobi, said some MCAs align themselves with governors, compromising their role in scrutinizing county finances.

“Some MCAs align themselves with governors, thereby undermining the fight against corruption,” she said.

MCAs are tasked with examining expenditure reports, investigating financial mismanagement, and holding county executives accountable.

However, Nyakang’o noted that their ability to oversee county operations is weakened by limited financial expertise, making it difficult for them to analyze budgets effectively.

“Limited financial expertise among MCAs hinders budget analysis,” she said.

Additionally, she pointed out that inadequate funding for county assembly oversight committees further restricts their ability to monitor spending.

In some counties, executives have ignored summons to explain their expenditures, while others have disregarded assembly recommendations.

Weak oversight, she said, creates an environment where corruption thrives, often taking the form of misappropriated funds, inflated contracts, and ghost projects.

Several former governors have been convicted of corruption, underscoring the severity of the problem.

Last week, former Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka was convicted of procurement irregularities, along with former County Executive Committee Member Grace Gitonga.

The court found them guilty of engaging in a project without prior planning and failing to comply with procurement laws.

In February, former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and his wife, Susan Ndung’u, were found guilty of corruption in a Sh588 million road tender case. Waititu was sentenced to 12 years in prison or a fine of Sh53.5 million.

In August last year, former Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal and 10 others were convicted for a fuel supply scandal that ran from 2013 to 2019.

To curb corruption at the county level, Nyakang’o called for enhanced training for MCAs, particularly in financial oversight, to strengthen their ability to scrutinize budgets and expenditures.

Other Topics To Read

• warns Controller of Budget
• Headlines
• National
• Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o
• Controller of Budget counties
• Governors-MCA alliances undermining oversight
• fueling corruption

“County assemblies are critical in ensuring fiscal accountability in devolved governance,” she said.

She urged MCAs to implement lessons learned from benchmarking trips and called for stronger legal frameworks with clear penalties for executives who fail to comply with oversight requirements.