Governor Wanga: CoB Nyakang’o is competent but overstepping her mandate

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has accused Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang’o of overstepping her constitutional mandate and taking on tasks she argues fall under the Office of the Auditor-General.

In a Thursday interview with NTV, Wanga described Dr Nyakang’o as a "strong, competent woman" but said her office's role was being stretched beyond its oversight function.

“To oversight budget implementation means ensuring you are implementing your budget as stated. But if you ask me for receipts of how I spent the money, that becomes auditing, which is under the Office of the Auditor-General,” she said.

The governor cited instances where the CoB allegedly required counties to present what she termed “audit-level documentation” when submitting requisitions for approval.

“You want me to show how I spent money and bring all manner of documents that I will also bring to the Auditor-General,” Wanga said.

“If you withhold money because you say I misused the last funds you approved, how do I work? I have people I am answerable to.”

Wanga argued that the CoB’s role should focus on approving budgets at the start of the fiscal year and checking their constitutionality.

“Once she starts flagging things in the middle of the financial year, it creates conflict. You should give me the money in my budget. If I misuse it, the Auditor-General will flag it, and I will go to the Senate to answer all questions,” she said.

Her remarks come amid tension between county governments and Nyakango’s office over delayed fund disbursements.

Last month, the Council of Governors (CoG) said it would petition the two Houses of Parliament to remove Nyakang’o from office.

GoG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi branded her “the biggest threat to devolution today,” accusing her of introducing what he called incessant bottlenecks, such as seeking approvals for transactions that would otherwise be processed online.

“She has become intransigent; she has become unreasonable—extremely unreasonable—and she has taken county governments through hell in accessing money. It is unacceptable,” the Wajir Governor said.

Abdullahi also cited the case of bursaries, which he says should be disbursed following agreements between counties and the Ministry of Education.

“Why do we have to carry invoices, contracts, and receipts all the way from Wajir and queue in her office for weeks to access money? I do not understand,” he said then.