Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has hailed Auditor General Nancy Gathungu and Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakango as Kenya’s heroes.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Onyonka noted that the two are the country’s last line of defense following their sustained revelations on the state of the government.
While commending the two for their bravery despite sustained attacks from a section of lawmakers allied to the Kenya Kwanza regime, Onyonka acknowledged that no one else commands the courage to raise the issues they do.
He further affirmed that the country’s leadership should uphold the Constitution’s principles and exercise accountability, fairness, transparency and equity in leadership.
“The controller of budget Margaret Nyakango and the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu are my heroes. These are the 2 last lines of defense in this country. If you look at the issues they are raising, not any of us as men can deal with them,” he said.
His statement was echoed by President William Ruto’s Senior Economic Advisor Moses Kuria who expressed his respect for Nyakango.
“I have got a lot of respect for Nyakango, notwithstanding the fact that Onyonka has defended her in the past on tribal grounds,” Kuria said.
Gathungu exposed serious irregularities in the procurement process for the technology system powering SHA, urging lawmakers to take firm action against those responsible.
Speaking before the Senate Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Gathungu underscored that she had fulfilled her constitutional mandate by identifying flaws in the tendering process.
“I have determined that public funds were neither utilized effectively nor in compliance with the law. Governance and risk management issues are evident, and I have highlighted them clearly,” she said.
Her remarks followed criticism from senators who argued that her reports often lacked direct recommendations for prosecution.
However, Gathungu countered that her role was to present the findings, leaving it to Parliament to drive accountability.
Just a day after Gathungu’s audit report, Nyakang’o issued a report flagging counties for misuse of public funds on non-priority items.
In particular, the controler of budget flagged 10 counties for operating more than 100 bank accounts and raised concerns over 15 others which spent millions of shillings on non-priority items.
