Editor's Review
The Office of the Auditor-General has responded to reports questioning the integrity of its staff involved in auditing schools.
The Office of the Auditor-General has responded to reports questioning the integrity of its staff involved in auditing schools.
In a statement on Thursday, September 24, the Office said its attention had been drawn to news reports aired by a local media house concerning the conduct of its staff during school audits.
The Auditor-General said its work is guided by core values that staff are expected to uphold while carrying out their responsibilities.
"In performing our role, we are guided by our core values of Integrity, Credibility, Relevance, Accountability and Independence. These are values that our staff hold dear in the execution of their responsibilities. We therefore, treat the allegations on integrity of our staff with utmost seriousness," the statement read.
The Office said it had internal mechanisms for addressing concerns involving the conduct of its employees and encouraged individuals with complaints to use the available channels.
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"As a proactive measure we have internal mechanisms to address any issue that may arise on this front. Our avenues remain open for any individual who may be having issues on the conduct of our staff," the statement added.
The Auditor-General further urged anyone with allegations of misconduct to report them to the relevant investigative authorities for independent investigations.
"In addition, any alleged misconduct should also be reported to the relevant investigative agencies including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation in accordance with their independent Constitutional mandate," the statement further read.
The Office also provided an overview of its school audit work, noting that it began auditing schools as an Independent External Auditor during the 2022/2023 financial year.
Since then, it said, several concerns have been identified in areas including financial record keeping, school funding, enrolment records, expenditure management, risk management and compliance with laws and regulations governing the use of public resources.
"These issues have prominently formed public discourse after Parliament commenced discussions on the audit reports of schools, three weeks ago," the statement noted.
The Auditor-General called on school heads to address the findings contained in its audit reports rather than divert attention from the issues raised.
"We, therefore, urge the School Heads to respond to the audit findings in our reports, as other public entities have been doing, and desist from deflecting attention from the audit issues raised, which if well resolved, would enable them manage the schools more efficiently and effectively in support of the education needs and aspirations of the learners and the country," the statement explained.
Meanwhile, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested two suspects accused of demanding and receiving money from a person whose matter is under investigation by the Commission.
In a statement on Thursday, September 24, EACC said the suspects, Hellen Hashiali Masinde and Violet Ndakwa, allegedly claimed they had connections within the anti-corruption agency that could help terminate the investigation.
"The suspects, Hellen Hashiali Masinde and Violet Ndakwa, both residents of Kakamega County, allegedly claimed to have ‘networks’ within the Commission through which they could influence the termination of the investigation," the statement read.
According to EACC, the suspects demanded Ksh100,000 from the person under investigation and were arrested after allegedly receiving Ksh30,000.
The Commission said the two suspects were believed to be part of a wider group operating in the Western Region and targeting members of the public by falsely claiming they could influence EACC investigations.
"The two are believed to be part of a group of fraudsters operating in the Western Region who either impersonate EACC officers or falsely claim to have the ability to influence matters under investigation by the Commission," the statement added.
Following their arrest, the suspects were processed at the EACC Western Regional Office before being booked at Bungoma Central Police Station as investigations continued.
