•Last week, Sonko accused unnamed auditors of asking for a bribe to give a good report.
•Committee chair defends auditors saying the office is understaffed.
Image: FILE
The office of the Auditor General has been criticised for producing shoddy reports.
On Thursday, senators rebuked the auditors for giving Kiambu county's financial statements a clean bill of health despite bizarre expenditures by Governor Ferdinand Waititu's administration.
Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura accused auditors of cutting deals with governors, saying "that is why they have turned into overnight millionaires".
"There is a serious element of comprise. How come we are seeing a lot of looting at the counties yet the issues are not being flagged by the auditors?" Mwaura told the Star.
On Friday Wilfred Marube, head of communications at the Office of the Auditor General, declined to comment on the accusations and referred journalists to Ouko.
He was said to be out of the office when reached for comment.
Last week, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko accused unnamed auditors of demanding Sh100 million in exchange for a good audit report.
"Some of the responses were there on time but this is a deal gone sour between the auditors and some of the officers we inherited from the previous administration and who believe that corruption cannot be fought in Nairobi city county," Sonko said last week.
He addressed the Senate Public Investments and Accounts Committee. Sonko now says he has reported to the EACC and given them evidence.
Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga said, "Actually with these budget lines, there is no way this report would be a qualified report."
Kiambu's financial statements indicate that the county allocated resources to functions under the national government, including State House.
For years, the Edward Ouko-led team has been praised for doing a stellar job and the accusations come as a surprise
Garissa Senator Fatuma Dhulo accused Ouko's office of misleading taxpayers that some counties had no irregularities in their expenditures yet their financial statements were wanting.
"We have over 30 counties that have qualified opinion yet when the supporting documents are brought, like the case of Kiambu county, billions of taxpayers' money has been lost. We need to unpack this," she said.
The Senate Public Accounts and Investments Committee has ordered special audits in some counties.
"We want a special audit in at least 30 counties with a qualified opinion," Dhulo said. "Some of them [governors] are living large in leafy suburbs and driving high-end vehicles which their payslips cannot sustain."
Committee chairman Moses Kajwang' told the Star, however, that the issues raised do not bring to question the integrity of the office of the Auditor General.
"The gaps in the reports point to capacity and not integrity. The officers are well trained and highly qualified but they are very few yet they are handling 47 counties," the Homa Bay senator said.
He said the committee will push for proper funding for the office in tandem with the growth of the devolved structure of government.
"The office is understaffed," Kajwang' said.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)