Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna claimed on Friday that the Auditor General’s Office faces numerous challenges that prevent it from effectively carrying out its mandate.
During an interview with Spice FM on Friday, the senator also criticized the EACC for delaying the prosecution of officials accused of graft who were brought to their attention.
He applauded the Auditor General for participating in the process and referring the cases to the Senate, specifically the Public Accounts Committee.
The committee evaluates the situation and then makes recommendations to the EACC for action.
Sifuna revealed that EACC delays and sometimes does not provide feedback on cases brought to their attention.
“For the past two years over 150 graft cases have been reported to the EACC by the Public Accounts Committee of the Senate, but when we query them on the progress we unfortunately don’t get direct feedback,” Sifuna said.
The Nairobi Senator has emphasized the need for a larger budget to help the OAG be more efficient in its services.
Sifuna’s Take on Underfunded Auditor General
During the interview, Sifuna revealed that the Senate is sometimes forced to postpone committee meetings with offers from Nancy Gathungu’s office because they do not have the means to travel to Nairobi.
“The Office of the Auditor General complains to the Senate that they are underfunded and under-resourced,” the Senator said.
“We have had meetings of the Senate Public Accounts adjourned because officers of the AG Kisumu hub were not able to travel, they have no fare.”
Sifuna’s revelation comes months after Auditor General Nancy Gathungu complained about being underfunded.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu spoke out in May against proposed budget cuts totaling more than Sh270 million.
Gathungu argued that the move would disrupt her office’s operations, including the preparation of audit reports for national and county governments.
Despite being a critical anchor in monitoring the use of public funds, the OAG is dependent on annual allocations proposed by the National Treasury and approved by the National Assembly.
Gathungu had previously advocated for a reform of the funding system to strengthen the OAG’s independence.
She proposed a protected fund for the office, free from arbitrary changes by Parliament and the National Treasury.
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