Auditor-General Edward Ouko before Senate’s Finance Committee at County
Hall in Nairobi on February 26, 2014. FILE PHOTO | EVANS HABIL |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Auditor-General Edward Ouko is seeking an additional Sh5 billion
from the Treasury to strengthen the implementation of the mandate of
his office in the counties.
Mr Ouko said the bulk of
the money would go towards hiring additional staff to increase the
frequency and currency of audits of public expenditure and curb wastage
of resources.
“We are desperately working to get the
resources to allow us get insider reports on development projects and
audit counties,” Mr Ouko said at a taxpayers’ forum in Nairobi on
Tuesday.
Of the Sh5 billion, Sh2.3 billion would be
used to hire more staff at the national level and Sh1.5 billion to get
workers to monitor county government expenditures.
About
Sh600 million would be used to tighten audit at County Development Fund
boards with the remaining Sh600 million covering special projects.
“We
need 500 more staff for all the counties if we have to not only report
on their accounts, but also do value–for-money audit. That would be
preventive and deterrent to abuses,” he said.
INDEPENDENT BUDGET
The
Auditor-General’s office received Sh2.6 billion in the current fiscal
year against a request of Sh5.4 billion and has been battling for
autonomy from the Treasury as way to get an independent budget line.
Currently,
the Kenya National Audit Office operates alongside big spenders such as
the Office of the President and the Department of Defence, which Mr
Ouko feels threatens the push for accountability in public offices.
Last
year, Public Investments Committee said it would make changes to the
Public Audit Bill, 2014, to ensure Audit Office was independent and cut
the Treasury’s power in setting its budget.
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