Chief Justice David Maraga on Friday presided over the swearing in of Nancy Gathungu as the country’s auditor general.
Gathungu takes over from Edward Ouko who retired in August 2019.
While taking the oath of office , Gathungu said her priority will be to clear the audit backlog as soon as possible while adhering to the Health Ministry’s protocols on Covid-19.
“Owing to the gap that existed between the expiry of Ouko and her recruitment, there has been a backlog of audit reports spanning a period of 11 months,” she said.
Chief Justice David Maraga told Ms. Gathungu to discharge her duties with a firm hand as she may, occasionally, find herself on the wrong footing of fellow public officers.
Maraga further promised the Auditor General the full support of the Judiciary, however stating that they he will also not be afraid to correct her whenever she oversteps her mandate.
“Very often it is the case in leadership positions in this country that you will counter challenges. As it were, you will step on toes, some of them very thick, including even if it is that of the Chief Justice, but you are required to discharge your duty without fear or favor, I want to assure you that as an institution, we will give you all the support you require. If there are areas where we will have to say that you have not done your work well we will say it.” CJ Maraga said
The new Auditor General said her tenure will be based on four pillars: Independence, credibility, relevance and accountability.
