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Probing Nakuru Audit Gaps: Accountability on the Line

 By Tobbias Mutunga 

The Common Pulse | September 2025


In recent months, the County Government of Nakuru has come under increased scrutiny after audit reports flagged major gaps in financial management, procurement, and service delivery. The revelations have not only raised concerns about misuse of public funds but also exposed systemic weaknesses that undermine trust in devolved governance.

 Where the Audit Red Flags Began

The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) pointed out several inconsistencies in Nakuru’s 2023/2024 financial statements. Among them:

  • Unsupported expenditures running into hundreds of millions.

  • Procurement irregularities, including inflated tenders and single-sourced contracts.

  • Uncollected revenues from key streams such as parking, markets, and land rates.

  • Ghost projects, where funds were disbursed but physical developments remain incomplete or nonexistent.

These gaps reflect not just accounting errors but possible deliberate loopholes for corruption.

 Accountability Versus Politics

Audit gaps in Kenya often spark heated debates. In Nakuru, political leaders are divided:

  • Oversight bodies demand explanations and call for lifestyle audits of senior county officials.

  • County executives downplay the findings, citing “technical accounting issues” and promising to respond in due course.

  • Citizens’ voices—especially civil society groups, are growing louder, pressing for transparency and prosecution of those implicated.

This tug-of-war highlights a deeper problem: the audit process risks being reduced to political theater unless concrete action follows.

 Impact on Service Delivery

Behind every unaccounted shilling is a stalled health project, delayed bursary fund, or incomplete road. Nakuru residents are already feeling the weight of audit gaps through:

  • Poorly equipped hospitals.

  • Unmaintained feeder roads.

  • Irregular disbursement of ward development funds.

  • Rising skepticism about whether devolution truly benefits ordinary citizens.

When accountability is blurred, service delivery becomes the ultimate casualty.

 Closing the Gaps: What Needs to Be Done

For Nakuru, and other counties, to restore public confidence, several steps are urgent:

  1. Strengthen internal audit systems to catch irregularities before they balloon.

  2. Digitize revenue collection to minimize leakages from manual handling.

  3. Enhance public participation, allowing citizens to track projects and budgets in real time.

  4. Empower county assemblies with tools and independence to question executive spending without fear of reprisal.

  5. Prosecute offenders to set precedent that accountability is not optional.

 Nakuru’s Audit Gaps Matter Nationally

As Kenya’s fourth-largest county and a hub of agriculture, industry, and tourism, Nakuru sets the pace for devolution. If audit lapses go unchecked here, they send a worrying signal to smaller counties that financial indiscipline has no real consequences. Conversely, firm action in Nakuru could mark a turning point for accountability in devolved governance.

Probing Nakuru’s audit gaps is not just about chasing figures in ledgers, it’s about safeguarding the future of devolution. Citizens must keep demanding answers, institutions must act boldly, and leaders must prove that public office is a trust, not a personal wallet.

Only then can Nakuru, and Kenya at large, realize the true promise of county governance.


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