State House Comptroller Kinuthia Mbugua on Friday, November 8, addressed reports on President Uhuru Kenyatta's spending after questions were raised over the Head of State's expenditure.
Speaking during the FiRe Awards ceremony at the Carnivore grounds, Kinuthia assured that the president's office used the money allocated to it in a transparent manner.
“Some people think the Presidency is not accountable and just gets the money from the National Treasury and uses it as it wishes. That is far from the truth. The Presidency is accountable as any other government institution,” he was quoted by the Nation.
Kinuthia, who is the accounting officer for the Presidency, declared that it was his duty to ensure that the money by the executive arm including State House, the Deputy President's office and the Cabinet was spent wisely.
“Auditors and other oversight agencies come to State House as they wish. I cannot lock them out,” he added.
The Presidency won the award for the best Government Ministry/Agency Category.
Uhuru has come under criticism over his frequent foreign trips with a report on the nation showing he's undertaken over 90 trips abroad in his seven-year stint at the presidency.
Over the past one month, the president has embarked on official trips to Japan, Sochi in Russia and Saudi Arabia.
On November 7, during an interivew with the Nation, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma came to the President's defence stating that the trips are necessary for the country's development.
“The president has a duty to grow opportunities and reduce the risks for this country. These don’t just happen within the territory of Kenya," she stated.
