It’s time we took office of Auditor General seriously

Outgoing Auditor General Edward Ouko. [File, Standard]

Listening to the laments of retired Auditor General Edward Ouko, one gets a picture of a man who was not totally satisfied with the outcome of his efforts even as his term came to an end. While he lauded his team for their diligence and commitment, his main frustrations seemed to stem from the cold reception that often greeted his reports. And how so very true. In a previous treatise, exactly five years ago, I argued that the office of the Auditor General is possibly the most thankless job in the public sector.

Though churning out damning reports year after year about institutionalised state kleptocracy, the only persons who peep into these reports is the media – often giving the reports due prominence and at times educative analysis. Beyond that, the reports have mainly gathered dust in government archives or at most stirred a storm in government.