The Office of the Auditor-General warned that persistent underfunding continues to hamper its constitutional mandate, particularly in expanding audit coverage across counties, schools and emerging public entities.

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NAIROBI, Kenya May 28 – NAIROBI, Kenya, May 28 — The Budget and Appropriations Committee has backed proposals to establish an independent funding framework for the Office of the Auditor-General, as lawmakers push for stronger enforcement of audit recommendations, expanded audit coverage, and tighter controls on public revenue collection.

The Committee, chaired by Samuel Atandi, engaged Deputy Auditor-General for Corporate Services Isaac Ng’ang’a and senior officials from the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) during scrutiny of the 2026/27 Budget Estimates. Concerns over audit delays, revenue leakages in counties and a growing audit backlog dominated the session.

Atandi supported calls for financial independence for the audit office, noting that the current funding arrangement forces the Auditor-General to compete for resources with the very institutions it is mandated to audit.

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“The fact that you have to fight for resources within Sector Working Groups alongside the very agencies you are supposed to audit is fundamentally flawed,” he said.

He added that the Committee would explore a structured financing model anchored on a fixed proportion of audited national revenue to enhance the independence and effectiveness of the audit function.

The Office of the Auditor-General warned that persistent underfunding continues to hamper its constitutional mandate, particularly in expanding audit coverage across counties, schools and emerging public entities.

Ng’ang’a told MPs that the audit universe has grown to more than 12,000 entities, while the Office is grappling with a backlog of over 8,150 unaudited financial statements.

Although the OAG had planned to audit 5,476 financial reports and conduct 88 specialised audits in the current financial year, resource constraints have forced a scale-down of operations, especially in the education sector.

The Office also disclosed that a request for an additional KSh420 million to support audits of public secondary schools and in-year reviews was not included in the approved budget, further straining audit timelines and contributing to arrears that could spill over into the 2026/27 cycle.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya