President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nominee for Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakango is one step away from taking office after a Parliamentary committee cleared her for appointment.
The National Assembly is expected to approve the report of the Finance and National Planning committee which vetted the suitability Dr Nyakango to be appointed as the second Controller of Budget.
“Pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution and the Public Appointment (Parliamentary Approval), Act, the committee recommends to the House to approve the nomination of Margaret Nyakango as the Controller of Budget,” Kipkelion East Joseph Limo, who chairs the committee, said in a report to the House.
The committee found Dr Nyakango as qualified to take office of the Controller of Budget.
Once the MPs take the vote before taking the long Christmas recess tomorrow, Dr Nyakango will be sworn into office to start her eight-year tenure as the Controller of Budget.
The committee last Thursday vetted Dr Nyakango who declared her net worth at Sh68 million.
Dr Nyakango termed her assets as modest. Her estimate included half of the value of her family home, which she acquired through a mortgage.
Wealth declaration for those seeking top public office is anchored in the Constitution as a tool in the fight against corruption. A separate law, the Public Officer Ethics Act, requires all State officials together with their spouses and dependent children under the age of 18 years to submit their wealth declaration forms once every two years.
The full financial disclosure is a means to allow the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to detect and prevent corruption when top public servants are serving in office.
Dr Nyakango, who is a currently director at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), emphasised the need for tighter budget controls.
The main task of the Controller of Budget is to approve release of cash from the government’s main account — the Consolidated Fund Services — to ministries, counties and State agencies.
“We need to build capacity on budgetary controls. All releases of funds must be related to work plans but requests are made on plans that are not budgeted in the first place. Budgeted plans are then left out hence pending bills,” Dr Nyakango said.
If confirmed to the post, she will succeed Agnes Odhiambo whose eight-year non-renewable term ended in August.
Fifteen people had applied for the post, including Stephen Masha, the acting Controller of Budget.
Dr Nyakango, a certified public accountant, holds a Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool, UK.
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