This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
On September 3, 2019, President Kenyatta appointed a new occupant to the Office of the Controller of Budget, replacing the retiring Mrs Agnes Odhiambo, the founding chief executive, who had stepped down after an eight-year stint.
The Office of the Controller of Budget was created in 2011 to play a crucial role in public financial management, but it has failed to live up to expectations.
As a society, we set low standards for leadership and allow public officials to celebrate gestures instead of solid game-changing policies and reforms.
The Office of the Controller of Budget was meant to be an independent body that would keep its distance from the National Treasury while working closely with governance and accountability institutions.
However, the National Treasury still has a stranglehold over Exchequer releases, and the Office of the Controller of Budget has failed to assert itself in this area.
County governments must operate within the same Ifmis environment as the national government, but they cannot have separate systems.
The Central Bank of Kenya has played the role of gatekeeper of the purse on several occasions, but the Office of the Controller of Budget has failed to do so.
Therefore, the next controller of budget must be a gatekeeper of the public purse, ensuring that the National Treasury does not have a stranglehold over Exchequer releases.
