A quiet row is brewing between Kenya’s governors and the Office of the Auditor-General over plans to scrutinize how counties spend money on bursaries and early childhood education.
The dispute centers around a new audit covering six counties, meant to assess the performance of county-run bursary and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) programs. But governors say they were never consulted and they’re not happy.
In a strong-worded statement this week, the Council of Governors (CoG) accused the Auditor-General of breaching both legal procedures and constitutional principles. They say the audit is not only outside the usual timelines but also unfairly targets a few counties without clear criteria.
“This audit is being conducted unprocedurally and without prior engagement,” said CoG Chairperson and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi. “We are guided by law, and any audit process must respect the spirit of devolution and follow due process.”
Governors argue that these performance audits are repetitive. Counties have already undergone financial audits for the same programs, they insist. Doing another one, especially without notice, they say, is wasteful and confusing.
But the Auditor-General, Nancy Gathungu, sees it differently.
Her office points to Article 229(4) of the Constitution, which gives her the power to audit not just financial accounts but also how effectively public money is being used.
“Performance audits are not the same as financial audits,” said a source within the Auditor-General’s office who spoke on background. “This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about asking whether public funds are achieving their intended results.”
Kenyans are watching the standoff closely. They say audits, if done well and fairly, help shine a light on how money meant for needy students is actually spent.
Users online especially on X(Twitter) have expressed their frustrations after the move made by The Council of Governors.
“Only in Kenya do leaders oppose auditing of public funds. What do you mean auditing is an interference of devolution? Like the auditor general just wants to know we gave you this amount of money; how have you utilized it?” one user said.
“So we pay taxes… they loot… and then block audits? They are claiming they had already been audited” Another user questioned.
“The audacity! There’s something seriously wrong with current crop of leaders. Elected by the people, they abuse & misuse their positions of power to the detriment of the electorate, then gang up to frustrate accountability efforts. Fish rots from the head. Dethroning this cabal of thieves, top to bottom come 2027 is a duty. A matter of survival for the people & country.” Another user commented.
The six counties selected for this audit have not been publicly named, which adds to governors’ suspicions. The Council of Governors (CoG) says the lack of transparency only deepens mistrust and could set a bad precedent for how oversight is carried out in the future.
While both sides insist they’re working in the public interest, the tension underscores the fragile balance between oversight and devolution. The Constitution gives counties more freedom to run their affairs, but it also demands transparency and accountability.
The governors have asked the Auditor-General to halt the process until there’s formal consultation and legal clarity.
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