The Cabinet has approved the Public Audit Amendment Bill, 2023 which will see the office of the Auditor General get capacity and enhanced independence to deal with corruption in the country.
According to President William Ruto, their resolve as a government was to ensure there was zero tolerance for corruption in all government offices.
The approval of the bill, he noted, will grant the auditor general necessary powers for fraud investigation.
“As a government that believes in accountability, we must give the institution of the auditor general’s office the necessary capacity to hold every agency and ministry accountable to the people of Kenya,” said Ruto.
Speaking during the national Taxpayers’ Day in Mombasa, the head of state admitted that for a long time, the government has faced challenges in its bid to tame the vice.
The move, he added, will ensure proper utilization of public resources through audits.
"It is important that as government, we communicate this commitment clearly because the citizens and taxpayers deserve to know it as a matter of right. Our taxpayers are supporting national transformation by financing the provision of public services, strategic investments and our national revenue sovereignty,” he said.
Ruto at the same time disclosed that revenue collection has significantly increased following the government's decision to digitize its services.
He stated that the move to migrate 13,000 government services into the digital platform has led to a substantial surge in monthly revenues, with collections now totalling Sh9 billion up from Sh1.5 billion.
