The Azimio La Umoja team led by Rail Amolo Odinga has announced its stand on case facing the controller of budget Magaret Nyakango.
In a statement on X, Odinga noted: “As Azimio, we strongly support Ms. Margaret Nyakango, the Controller of Budget.”
Dr Margaret Nyakango, the Controller of Budget, has been arrested during a public seminar in Mombasa.
Dr Nyakango, who took the oath of office on 4th December 2019, was due to retire in November 2027. According to Article 251 of the Constitution of Kenya, the Office of the Controller of Budget enjoys security of tenure, and the holder shall hold office for a non-renewable term of eight years.
Her arrest comes barely four weeks after her explosive presentation before the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) where she revealed that someone at the National Treasury had been inflating her salary by three times the amount without her consent.
In his statement, Odinga noted:
“The arrest and arraignment of Controller of Budget Ms Margaret Nyakango by the EACC did not come as a surprise to us in Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party. We believe many Kenyans too saw it coming.
The arrest was always coming, in light of her determination to act professionally and with integrity in a regime infested by crooks and unprofessional conduct. It was only a matter of when, not if Ms Nyakango was going to send packing on frivolous and trumped up charges to create room for a user friendly holder of the office, who will support and sanitize the looting currently underway.
Her tribulations are thus politically motivated with a witch hunt, which the EACC will find difficult to convince Kenyans about, at a time when Kenyans are wreathing under full blown corruption.
We encourage Ms Nyakango to remain strong in defense of integrity, professionalism and the dictates of good governance.
As a party, we stand with Ms Nyakango and will offer whatever help we can in the interest of the war against corruption in the country.
This struggle will be nasty and long but it is one Kenyans cannot afford to lose. We will lead that struggle from the front.”
Margaret Nyakango’s confession:
Mrs Nyakango had earlier revealed the corruption in her office.
“When I was doing the budget for consolidated funds services, this is where my salary is paid from, I found out that my salary was budgeted at three times what I’m paid. I am the only state officer in my institution so there is nothing like confusion there. I’m all alone. So I asked them why is the budget showing three times what my annual salary is. And it was like that for all the state officers. I have not received the answer to date,” she said.
Dr Nyakang’o, in her monthly report to the National Assembly of Kenya, also recently warned that the Gov’t may soon be unable to render crucial services due to the weakening shilling against the dollar which has led to a sharp increase in public debt, which has the potential to erode the Govt’s fiscal space and limit the implementation of other critical policies and programs.”
