Governors have said that rogue auditors are soliciting bribes while ignoring key documents, claims that could soil the credibility of the powerful office of the Auditor General.
In the last financial year only two counties — Makueni and Nyandarua — were given a clean bill of health by auditors but most counties were cited for blatant misuse of taxpayers’ money.
The governors spoke to the Star yesterday as it emerged that 14 more county chiefs are to be questioned by senators this month. Beleaguered Migori boss Okoth Obado is scheduled to appear before the Senate next Monday.
“All County Executives are requested to submit written responses (in hard and soft copy) and all supporting documents,” Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye said in a notice seen by the Star.
At least 10 governors interviewed by the Star said the credibility of the Auditor General’s office was on the line.
Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said most staff mandated to do the audits are “incompetent and inexperienced”.
The Kakamega county chief said they had proposed to Parliament that no audit reports should be tabled without county management notes, in an effort to ensure credibility and checks and balances.
“The office of the Auditor General is not well resourced. It has very few experienced auditors so you find that they are using very junior staff who have just been recruited and as such, they don’t understand some of the audit issues they have to deal with. They are narrow-minded and their work is to look for mistakes. Actually, their reports don’t add any value at all,” Oparanya told the Star.
