Mercy Mwai @PeopleDailyKe
Parliament is planning to spend Sh41.2 million to audit the office of Auditor General Edward Ouko whose term comes to an end next month, having served an eight-year non-renewable term.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has procured the services of PKF Kenya as the external auditor who will audit Ouko for four financial years before he exits office.
The Opiyo Wandayi-led committee said PKF Kenya beat six other firms for the bid with a score of 87.36.
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The other firms include Ronalds and Associates which had quoted Sh31.6 million, Nelson & Francis Associates, Mazars, Ernest and Martin Associates, Ambale and Company Limited and Kiarie Kangethe and Associates
In a report tabled in the National Assembly last week, Wandayi asked the House, which is expected to debate the report next week, to approve the firm to allow the overdue process to take off.
Rejected bid
He said the decision to settle on PKF comes after attempts by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) chaired by national assembly speaker Justin Muturi to identify a professionally qualified accountant to procure an external auditor was rejected by the House.
“The committee recommends that the National Assembly approves the award of hire of external audit services for the office of the Auditor General for the financial years 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 to M/S PKF Kenya pursuant to the provisions of article 226 (4) of the Constitution,” the report read.
PSC had recommended M/S Baker Tilly Meralli’s that had earlier audited Ouko for the previous four years but MPs rejected him on grounds of conflict of interest despite being the lowest bidder out of four firms that had expressed interest.
The process to get an external auditor for Ouko’s office has been ongoing since June 2016 through the Parliamentary Service Commission.
