I Face Threats as I Fight Corruption in Government
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o has raised alarm over the threats and intimidation she continues to face in her role, which has often placed her in the spotlight for exposing corruption at both the national and county levels.
Addressing the Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) on Tuesday, Nyakang’o disclosed that despite the protections afforded to her by law, she still feels unsafe as she performs her duties.
Nyakang’o revealed a harrowing incident from December last year when she was arrested on allegations of defrauding and running an unlicensed Sacco. This, she said, was part of a broader plot by unnamed individuals to force her out of office. “Sometimes I feel unsafe, but the law has protected me. I’m here to carry out my duties under the law,” she told MPs.
The COB recounted her abduction by unknown individuals, who took her on a seven-hour journey from Nairobi to Mombasa. There, she was handed over to local Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers and later arraigned in court, where she was released on a Ksh.500,000 bail.
Nyakang’o did not shy away from pointing out other challenges hampering her office’s effectiveness, including insufficient funding. She compared her office’s annual budget of Ksh.700 million to that of the Auditor-General’s, which receives close to Ksh.9 billion, despite the fact that both institutions cover the entire country.
Nyakang’o’s courage in exposing government excesses and corruption has drawn both admiration and retaliation. “The fact that I hold a protected office was ignored, and I was abducted to Mombasa… but I’m here in the office without fear or favour,” she added defiantly.
Her testimony underscores the perilous path of public accountability in Kenya, where whistleblowers and officials alike face tremendous personal and professional risks while safeguarding public resources.
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I Face Threats as I Fight Corruption in Government
