Law Society of Kenya Rejects President’s Appointment to Public Debt Audit Task Force
In a decisive move, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has rejected the appointment of its President, Faith Odhiambo, to the newly formed public debt audit task force. The task force, established by the government, has come under scrutiny from LSK, which has labeled it as unconstitutional and illegal.
In an official statement released on Saturday, LSK asserted that the task force undermines the constitutional mandate of the Auditor General, whose responsibility includes auditing the nation’s public debts. According to LSK, Article 229 of the constitution explicitly assigns this role to the Auditor General, making the establishment of any parallel audit mechanism unlawful.
“The mandate to audit public debt rests with the office of the Auditor-General,” LSK declared in its statement, emphasizing that any attempt to bypass this office is a breach of constitutional provisions.
Moreover, LSK criticized the government’s decision to allocate resources towards setting up the task force, suggesting that such expenditures are unnecessary and wasteful. They called upon the Head of State to respect the constitutional framework and refrain from usurping the responsibilities of established public offices.
As a result of these concerns, LSK announced its decision that neither its President nor any of its members would participate in the task force. This stance reflects their commitment to upholding constitutional principles and protecting the integrity of governmental audit processes.
The rejection by LSK represents a significant stance against what it perceives as governmental overreach and a disregard for constitutional checks and balances. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to these criticisms as the issue unfolds.
For further developments, stakeholders and the public await the government’s response to LSK’s assertion of constitutional impropriety regarding the task force’s formation and its implications for public debt oversight.
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