Eddie, who qualified as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant in 1982, was presented with the award yesterday (Tuesday 26 March 2024) at the Institute’s annual dinner, in recognition of his exceptional record of public service as Auditor-General of the Republic of Kenya and his bravery and dedication in combating corruption in the country.
He served as Kenya's first Auditor General from 2011 to 2019, following a new constitution which widened the mandate of the Office of the Auditor General in the country to cover national government as well as 47 devolved county governments.
The award’s citation noted that Eddie was hailed by Kenyans as “the most honest, bold, and dedicated Public Servant who did his best to unravel and combat corruption in the country”.
Eddie feared for his life both during and after his time as Auditor General, the citation said.
It added that: “One of his most turbulent times in office was when he questioned the Government's expenditure of the controversial Eurobond proceeds. The matter was so emotive that even the President himself publicly lashed out at Eddie for questioning what he claimed was a clear expenditure of the proceeds. His position on the subject further landed him in trouble with lawmakers who threatened to prematurely end his accounting career. Eddie was also at loggerheads with a section of County Governors whom he linked to mismanagement of public funds in his yearly financial audit reports.”
Eddie Ouko said: “I served the country at a time when the country was politically polarized, and the leadership controlled both the executive and the legislature to whom I was responsible! The expected protection by Parliament was thus compromised except for the minority lawmakers. Adverse audit revelations were not welcomed, nor the recommendations respected.”
Mark Rhys, ICAEW President, said:
"We are delighted to present Eddie with ICAEW’s Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of the remarkable courage he showed as Auditor-General of the Republic of Kenya and his outstanding record of public service.
“At a time when strengthening trust in Chartered Accountants and the wider profession is crucial, Eddie is a role model.
“On behalf of ICAEW I offer my congratulations to Eddie for his achievements.”
Eddie trained and qualified in London with Deloitte, before moving back to Nairobi in 1982. In 1987, he joined the African Development Bank and held various positions there before he became Auditor-General of Kenya in 2011. Between 2013 and 2019, he represented Africa on the ICAEW Council.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Contact: ICAEW media office, dean.pettipher@icaew.com or 07812 493 812
The full citation is as follows:
THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
The award is bestowed on a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) who has made an outstanding contribution in any field of endeavour.
The forty-fifth award, that for 2024, has been conferred on
EDWARD (EDDIE) OUKO
in recognition of his exceptional record of public service as Auditor-General of the Republic of Kenya, and his bravery and dedication in combating corruption in the country.
Eddie was the Auditor-General of the Republic of Kenya from 2011 to 2019. As Kenya's first Auditor General following the 2010 promulgation of the Constitution which expanded the scope of audit to include the focus on lawful and effective use of public resources, he was hailed by Kenyans as the most honest, bold, and dedicated Public Servant who did his best to unravel and combat corruption in the country.
Eddie trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte in London before moving back to Nairobi in 1982 to continue his career with Deloitte. Eddie joined the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1987 where he worked for over 24 years in various capacities, finally as the Auditor General for the Bank where he directed the audit function and was also in charge of the anti-corruption and fraud function.
Eddie was appointed Auditor-General of the Republic of Kenya in August 2011.
One of his most turbulent times in office was when he questioned the Government's expenditure of the controversial Eurobond proceeds. The matter was so emotive that even the President himself publicly lashed out at Eddie for questioning what he claimed was a clear expenditure of the proceeds. His position on the subject further landed him in trouble with lawmakers who threatened to prematurely end his accounting career. Eddie was also at loggerheads with a section of governors whom he linked to mismanagement of public funds in his yearly financial audit reports.
Eddie feared for his life for the eight years he served as Auditor General, and he was more concerned about his safety after his tenure as Auditor General. He stated, "I have been living in fear even when I was still in office, but I'm more afraid now because I am out of office, and I now feel anybody who harboured the ill-motive could never have manifested it during the eight-year tenure period because they knew there was security”.
He was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the Advisory Board of the Vienna-based International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA). He was Vice-President of the African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI) Technical Committee on Knowledge Management and Sharing that is co-ordinating the co-operative audit on corruption as a driver of Illicit Financial Flows and also doubled as the President of the Technical Committee on Knowledge Sharing and Management.
As the Auditor General of the African Development Bank, he was one of the Heads of Investigations of the Multilateral Development Banks’ working group that developed Unified Framework on Harmonized Definitions of Corrupt and Fraudulent practices as well as principles and guidelines for investigations. The Framework was ratified by the Presidents of the MDBs, including the IMF at the World Bank Singapore Meetings in September 2006. The framework was a precursor to a common position on Mutual Recognition and Enforcement of Sanctions (Cross Debarment) by the MDBs and IMF.
Eddie is a Fellow Member of the Institute (FCA) and served as a co-opted Council Member of the Institute representing Africa from 2013 to 2019. He is also a Fellow Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (FCPA) and holds a BCom Degree (Hons) in Finance and Accounting from the University of Nairobi.
This award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales acknowledges Eddie’s exceptional record of public service as Auditor-General of the Republic of Kenya, and his bravery and dedication in combating corruption in the country.