Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o arrested

Police on Tuesday arrested Controller of Budget (CoB) Dr Margaret Nyakang'o to face various charges in court.

Dr Nyakang'o was arrested in Mombasa in connection to a complaint made against her and 10 other people in 2016 before she became the CoB.

She and the 10 are supposed to face charges including conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 317 of the Penal Code, operating a Sacco without a Licence Contrary to Section 24 as read with Section 66 of the Sacco Societies Act, 2008, forgery and uttering a false document c/s 353 of the Penal Code.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions approved the charges in a letter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on November 30.

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Sources said she was at a public event in Mombasa before her arrest. Efforts to arrest the others were ongoing, officials said.

They include Jackson Ngure Wanjau, Susan Kendi, James Makena Wanyagi, John Muchira Kithaka, Jane Karuu Ndanvi and Muthoni Elphas.

The others are Joan Chumo, Mercy Ndura Mukora, Gregory Mwangangi Mailu and Michael Kipkurui.

Dr Nyakango, who took oath of office on December 4, 2019, was due to retire in November 2027.

According to Article 251 of the Constitution of Kenya, the Office of the Controller of Budget enjoys security of tenure, and the holder shall hold office for a non-renewable term of eight years.

Vocal

Nyakango has been vocal about public expenditure in the country.

Her arrest comes barely a month after her explosive presentation before the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) where she revealed that someone at the National Treasury had been inflating her salary by three times the amount without her consent.

"When I was doing the budget for consolidated funds services, this is where my salary is paid from, I found out that my salary was budgeted at three times what I'm paid. I am the only state officer in my institution so there is nothing like confusion there. I'm all alone. So I asked them why is the budget showing three times what my annual salary was. And it was like that for all the state officers. I have not received the answer to date," she said.

She also recently warned that the government may soon be unable to render crucial services due to the weakening shilling against the dollar which has led to a sharp increase in public debt.

In her National Government Budget Implementation Review Report for 2022/23, Nyakang’o noted that the country has a significant amount of public debt denominated in foreign currencies, which makes it vulnerable to currency fluctuations and exchange rate risks.