NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 22 – Nancy Gathungu took over office Thursday, effectively kicking off her 8-year term as Kenya’s Auditor General.
She took over from Edward Ouko who retired last year, at the expiry of his 8-year term.
“The independence of this office is yours to give away,” Ouko told his successor.
And he encouraged her “not to worry about the big shoes. What should worry you is how you are going to tailor your shoes.”
The post is considered a hot spot, because it involves checking expenditure by the Executive.
“As I hand over, I am confident [that] you are going to tailor a shoe bigger than Ouko’s,” he said.
Ouko revealed that he worked under what he described as “very hard political environment.”
The new Auditor General hailed Ouko for revolutionalising public sector audit, pledging, “we can go higher. As an office, we are not going back.”
Considered an insider in the National Audit Office, having worked under Ouko, Gathungu pledged to be guided by Independence, Credibility, Relevance and Accountability.