Chairperson COG Ahmed Abdullahi. The Council is opposed of fresh audit by the Auditor General on bursaries in 6 counties. Photo: COG X.
The Council or Governors (COG) has opposed fresh calls by the Auditor General on audit of bursaries and Early Children Development Education (ECDE) in six counties.
COG has termed the audit as unconstitutional, and was done without consultation with county governments, with the Council reinforcing its earlier stand on the process lacking transparency and further a duplication of the first audit.
“The Council reiterates its earlier position that this audit falls outside the constitutional and statutory timelines, was initiated without consultation with County Governments, lacks transparency in the selection of Counties, and risks duplicating previous audits,” COG stated.
In a meeting convened on Monday addressing the issue, COG called on the Auditor General to carry its duties within the Public Audit Act, to avoid duplication of the process.
“The Auditor General should conduct all audits within the confines of the Constitution and the Public Audit Act. Respect for the rule of law and the principles of devolution is essential to preserve the integrity of the audit process,” further stated.
The Council further expressed its commitment in transparent accountability, calling on other government institutions not to interfere with the functions of devolution, as their actions threatens the performance of devolution.
“We welcome constructive, lawful audit processes that are conducted in the spirit of collaboration, fairness, and respect for devolved governance,” read the statement.
COG has in the recent received opposition from not only Auditor General , but the Controller of Budget, who had flagged of the bursary program by governors, as a duplication of education bursaries that are already offered by the ministry of education and Members of Parliament.
Last Week, Homabay County Governor Gladys Wanga faulted the Controller of Budget for overstepping her mandate, calling on her to stick on her role of budget allocation oversight, and leave the auditing to the Auditor General.
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