Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition co-principal Martha Karua has condemned the arrest of Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o.

Nyakang’o was arrested in Mombasa on Tuesday morning in connection with a complaint made against her and 10 other persons in 2016. This was before she became the CoB.

In a statement, Karua questioned the timing of the arrest, terming it as intimidation and harassment of the CoB.

“Timing suggestive of harassment and intimidation, especially coming after her revealing testimony at Bomas. Those siphoning government money at treasury are scot free but the whistleblower is under arrest,” Karua wrote on X (formally Twitter).

Nyakang’o, while appearing before the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) in October claimed that the National Treasury had inflated salaries for top government officials.

She alleged that the rot in the National Treasury had partially contributed to the high cost of living in the country.

The CoB claimed that the National Treasury had inflated her salary budget three times, contrary to what she is paid.

“When I was doing the budget for consolidated funds services, this is where my salary is paid from, I found out that my salary was budgeted at three times what I’m paid. I am the only state officer in my institution so there is nothing like confusion there. I’m all alone. So I asked them why is the budget showing three times what my annual salary is. And it was like that for all the state officers. I have not received the answer to date,” she said.

Nyakang’o to be arraigned

Nyakang’o is expected to be arraigned in court today after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions approved the charges against her in a letter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dated November 30.

She and 10 others are expected to face charges including conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 317 of the Penal Code, operating a Sacco without a Licence Contrary to Section 24 as read with Section 66 of the Sacco Societies Act, 2008, forgery and uttering a false document c/s 353 of the Penal Code.