Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has faulted Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang’o for allegedly overstepping her constitutional role and assuming functions meant for the Auditor-General.

Speaking in an interview with NTV on Thursday, Wanga acknowledged Nyakang’o as a “strong and capable leader” but argued that her office’s mandate was being stretched beyond budget oversight.

“To oversight budget implementation means checking whether spending aligns with the approved budget. But when you ask me for receipts and detailed proof of expenditure, that is auditing, which falls under the Auditor-General,” Wanga said.

She accused the CoB of demanding “audit-level documentation” when counties submit requisitions for approval, a move she says creates unnecessary hurdles.

“If you withhold funds on grounds that the previous allocation was misused, how am I supposed to function? I have obligations to fulfill to the people,” she added, insisting that the CoB should only verify the legality of budgets at the start of a financial year.

“Once you start raising issues mid-year, you create conflict. Give me the funds as budgeted. If I misuse them, the Auditor-General will flag it, and I will answer to the Senate,” she said.

Her comments come amid growing friction between counties and the CoB over delayed disbursements. Last month, the Council of Governors (CoG) threatened to petition Parliament for Nyakang’o’s removal, accusing her of imposing bureaucratic bottlenecks.

CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi described the CoB as “the biggest threat to devolution,” alleging that her insistence on physical approvals for transactions, such as bursary disbursements, was crippling operations.

“She has become intransigent, extremely unreasonable, and has subjected counties to untold frustration in accessing funds. Why must invoices and receipts be carried all the way from Wajir to her office and left to queue for weeks?” Abdullahi posed.