Lawmakers reconvene to vote on Auditor-General appointment

A parliamentary committee has approved President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nominee for Auditor-General, paving the way for lawmakers to endorse her appointment to the office that has been vacant for nearly 10 months.

The National Assembly committee on Finance and National Planning will this afternoon table a report recommending the appointment of Nancy Kabui Gathungu.

MPs who are currently on a short recess will today hold a special sitting convened by speaker Justin Muturi to consider the President’s nominee.

Ms Gathungu, currently the Director of Quality Assurance at the Auditor-General office, will take over from Edward Ouko, an accountant appointed in 2011.

Her approval will now hand budget oversight role to women given that Margaret Nyakang’o replaced Agnes Odhiambo as controller of budget last December.

“I will table the motion for her approval before the House tomorrow (this afternoon),” Vice-chair of the committee and MP for Roysambu Ndirangu Waihenya said yesterday.

Mr Muturi will then forward Ms Gathungu’s name to the president for appointment on a non-renewable eight-year term.

Kenya has been without a substantive Auditor-General after Mr Ouko retired in August last year.