This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
On July 1, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated Nancy Janet Kabui Gathungu as Kenya's second Auditor General under the new Constitution.
Nancy Gathungu, a seasoned auditor, has been serving as the Director of Audit (Quality Assurance) in the Office of Auditor General (OAG) since 2014. Prior to this role, she worked as a Deputy Director at the Kenya National Audit Office (KNAO) from 2010 to 2014 and held the position of Chief Internal Auditor at the Kenyatta National Hospital from 2000 to 2006.
Ms Gathungu's nomination comes after the second recruitment exercise for the Auditor General. The first recruitment process did not yield a candidate as the panel conducting the exercise was not impressed with the applicants' unique aspects other than their technical qualifications.
As the Auditor General, Ms Gathungu will be responsible for overseeing more than 1,000 entities, including government ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as public-owned entities. Her nomination brings light to the end of the tunnel, and pending audits will now be finalized, allowing the public to hold the government accountable for how their taxes have been spent.
Ms Gathungu now awaits vetting by Parliament's Appointments committee headed by the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi. If successful, she will take over the position for a non-renewable eight years term.
