New Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has already started making Kenyans miss the retired AG Edward Ouko.
In a todays briefing, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu shockingly said that Kenyans lost only Sh2.3 billion in COVID-19 Kemsa procurement scandal.
This site has been frequently highlighting how and who has benefited and how much was recieved in the multimillion scandal in the wake of the global pandemic.
Here are a few, go through them and let us know in the comments if the Office of the Auditor General would be able to sanitize that.
KEMSA Beneficiaries: Even as DPP received files from EACC exposing Sh7.8 billion scandal, here are those that stole Sh4.5 billion
I remember when Auditor General Nancy Gathungu was being sworn in, her speech was soo good to even believe it.
“My tenure will be anchored on four pillars. Independence which I will not give away, I will keep it and uphold it and together with the staff we will ensure we continue working as an independent audit office. Credibility, relevance and accountability will be the guiding principles of our work moving forward,” said Gathungu.
According to the Public Accounts Committee chairman Opiyo Wandayi, 2018/19 audit reports have not been released to parliament hindering the oversight role in public expenditures.
The New AG had asked to be given time but in today’s meeting, she was slated to hand over a preliminary report on the utilization of COVID-19 funds at Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).
The Senate Joint Committee on Health and the Covid-19 Situation in Kenya said the preliminary report should focus only on the procurement processes at KEMSA.
Gathungu had requested the committee to give her up to October 15 but members rejected her postulation, saying they had narrowed down the scope of work.
On July 23, the Standing Committee on Health requested the Auditor General to conduct a special audit on KEMSA accounts for the period between 2017 and 2020 and on the utilization of COVID-19 funds by the county governments.
Appearing before the joint committee on September 15, Gathungu said the special audit was still at the initial stage of data collection, analysis and corroboration of information from various institutions.
The audit team will thereafter visit counties for verification of utilization of funds from the first week of October.
The Senate heard that companies that had been around for less than year were awarded contracts without having the necessary qualifications to supply medical equipment.
In recommendations to the Senate, the office of the Auditor General calls government agencies to conduct probe to establish criminality in the procurement process and collusion between the management and companies awarded the contracts.
The same report also wants KEMSA to withhold any further processing of COVID-19 related claims until an independent audit is done.
The latest comes just a day after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said they would name those fingered in the scandal on Wednesday.
My thoughts, It will be a great diservice to the people of Kenya for such a once respectable office to be watered down by search half thought out reports.
The seriousness of that office shouldn’t be left to cheap media publicity stands and mediocrity.
One wonders but again, is this the reason as to why the seat was left vaccant for more than 12 months?
Is this why the Auditor General is ‘selected’ and not elected?
