Auditor General (AG) Nancy Gathungu, on Monday, April 25, pushed for a review of the public finance law governing the spending and disbursement of public funds.
Speaking during a meeting with 19 African Auditor Generals on strategies for dealing with illicit financial flows in African states, Gathungu stated that the move would prevent government employees from stealing and misusing public funds.
She added that the review would ensure the management of state finances, especially during national crises and eliminate corruption, a vice costing the government millions.
State officials were accused of using loopholes in the audit and monitoring of funds during emergencies to steal from the government.
“We are still looking at the numbers out there to determine how much we lost during the Pandemic and how much we lose during a crisis.
“Because corruption and illicit financial flows are sometimes very difficult not only to audit but also to investigate,” Gathungu stated.
Additionally, she noted that the government lost billions while responding to the locust invasion and dealing with the drought.
“We can only now work together to get the total figures. Funds were lost during responses to Covid, especially during the relief packages and procurement of commodities.
African countries, including Kenya, lost more than Ksh12 trillion while managing the pandemic.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, the Chairperson of President William Ruto's Council of Economic Advisory, David Ndii, alleged that the Controller of Budget, Auditor General and various investigative agencies could not stop the misuse of government resources.
He advised the government to put up systems that would stop the deliberate squandering of public funds, including strengthening the office of the Auditor General.
Further, he advocated for automated services, including procurement, to address the government's wastefulness.
"Government is extremely wasteful, there is not a single day that I am not exasperated by not just how wasteful it is but by how deliberate it is and how unbothered people are," Ndii stated.
