MPs ‘not concerned about audit reports’

The Auditor-General Monday expressed frustration at the lack of action on his periodic reports on government expenditure.

Mr Edward Ouko however said the buck stops with Parliament.

“Imagine all the rigorous work used in preparing these reports showing how public money is wasted and no action is taken.

“It is your representatives (Parliament) to take action,” Mr Ouko said when answering questions from reporters at Kenya School of Government (KSG).

Mr Ouko who had just officially opened a five-day training programme for state corporations’ personnel said he expects the civil society to take interest in his reports.

Civil society organisations are known to steer public debates on such issues especially where money belonging to the public has been misused.

And they usually pile pressure on the government to take action by prosecuting those involved in misappropriating public funds.

Among issues persistently highlighted by the Auditor-General in his annual reports on government expenditure are failures to properly account for revenue collected and expenditure.

Other are unsupported expenditure, weak maintenance of cash books and accounting records and poor management of imprests, which is also a recurring concern both in the audit of the Executive and parastatals.

Out of the 350 financial statements from various government ministries and departments that his office audited, and which form the basis of his report, only 12 per cent were clean, he said.