Revised legislation to empower AG

Auditor-General (AG) Junias Kandjeke says the finalisation of the Auditor-General Act will allow his office to act independently from state institutions, and give it a stronger mandate. He made the remarks following an assessment by the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) into the Office of the Auditor-General’s autonomy, which it found to be lacking. The finalisation of the Act is earmarked for 2025. It will look to address the inadequate regulation of audit functions at government offices, ministries and agencies. Once the Act is finalised, Kandjeke said they will “be seen to be independent from institutions of the state”.The Act will also cut the AG’s reliance on the public service. “When we employ people, we should employ [them based] on competence and not depend on the public service,” he said. “One other thing is to have power over certain actions. For example, if there is no adherence, and also in terms of timelines of audits,” he added. Enough scopeKandjeke further refuted the APRM’s findings that his office does not function autonomously, and said it has enough scope to act independently. “We are a vote. We prepare our budget based on the budget allocation that is given, then we prepare our budget,” he explained. The AG acknowledged that while his office was dependent on the national budget, it was by no means an indication that there was no oversight in terms of administrating and managing the budget. “The whole budget is tabled by the ministry of finance. Our independence is on administering and managing the budget,” he said. The APRM, in a country review monitor, opined that because the AG’s budget was set by the ministry, it did not function autonomously.

Revised legislation to empower AG

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Revised legislation to empower AG

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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