Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka
A committee of the Senate yesterday asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to start the process of appointing new Auditor General and Controller of Budget to avoid a crisis when the tenure of the current office holders ends.
The terms of Auditor General Edward Ouko and Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo end on September 16 and August 26, respectively.
The County Public Accounts and Investment Committee warned that leaving the two offices vacant for too long could result in a financial crunch in the counties.
Replacements
“The process of their replacement be initiated early enough so that by the time Ouko and Odhiambo leave, substantive holders will be in place,” committee chair Moses Kajwang (Homa Bay) said when they grilled Garissa Governor Ali Korane over 2017/18 financial year audit queries.
The committee said that besides the recruitment process being extensive, the law does not provide for the appointment of interim officials.
“There is no provision for an acting Auditor General or Controller of Budget,” said Kajwang.
The President is required to place an advertisement in the Kenya Gazette, two newspapers of national circulation and in at least two national radio and television stations, declaring vacancies in the two office and invite applications.
