Former Auditor General Edward Ouko has made a high-profile comeback to public service, six years after retiring from the country’s top audit office. His appointment, announced in a gazette notice dated Thursday, September 19, places him at the helm of one of Kenya’s most sensitive financial oversight organs—the Anti-Money Laundering Advisory Board.
The appointment, signed by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, grants Ouko a dual role: he will serve both as non-executive chairperson and as a member of the board, each for a three-year term. The twin postings underscore government confidence in his track record of financial scrutiny and institutional integrity.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 49 of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, I appoint Edward Ouko to be the Non-Executive Chairperson and a Member of the Anti-Money Laundering Advisory Board, for a period of three years with effect from 19th September 2025,” read part of the notice.
A Watchdog Returns to Familiar Terrain
The Anti-Money Laundering Advisory Board plays a pivotal role in the government’s war against illicit financial flows. It advises and supports agencies tracing assets acquired through corruption, fraud, and organized crime. It also guides policy responses to threats like terrorist financing and the proliferation of illicit cross-border cash movements.
Ouko’s return is significant. As Kenya’s inaugural Auditor General under the 2010 Constitution, he presided over the transformation of the office from a low-profile auditing unit into a high-visibility institution. Between 2011 and 2019, his office frequently rattled both the executive and parliament with damning reports on government spending, procurement irregularities, and fiscal wastage.
His tenure—marked by high-profile audits, public disputes with senior officials, and international recognition—earned him a reputation as a fearless defender of accountability. Yet it also attracted resistance, with some of his reports shelved or contested in parliament.
The Politics of the Appointment
The choice of Ouko by the Ruto administration, through CS Mbadi, carries political and institutional weight. Ouko served prominently during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, often locking horns with government ministries and agencies over questionable expenditures. His return under President William Ruto may signal a renewed effort to showcase seriousness in financial oversight at a time when Kenya faces mounting debt pressures, donor scrutiny, and public skepticism over corruption pledges.
For Mbadi, a seasoned politician and former opposition stalwart now entrusted with the Treasury docket, bringing Ouko on board could also be read as an attempt to depoliticize financial governance by leaning on figures with a reputation for independence.
Challenges Ahead
While Ouko’s appointment has been welcomed by many governance observers, the task before him is formidable. Kenya remains listed by international watchdogs as vulnerable to money laundering networks linked to drug cartels, terror financing, and corruption syndicates. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has in the past flagged gaps in Kenya’s enforcement regime, despite an elaborate legal framework.
Ouko’s new board will have to work closely with key agencies including the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). Success will depend not only on technical expertise but also on political will—often the missing link in Kenya’s fight against grand corruption.
A Full Circle Moment
From being the country’s first constitutionally entrenched Auditor General to now chairing a body tasked with insulating Kenya’s financial systems from global crime, Ouko’s career has come full circle. His comeback may be seen as both a vindication of his past service and a new test of whether Kenya can finally bridge the gap between audit findings, institutional oversight, and real accountability.
As the former watchdog settles into his new seat, one question lingers: Will Edward Ouko’s return revive Kenya’s credibility in the fight against corruption and illicit finance, or will his tenure be tested by the same political headwinds that dogged his Auditor General years?
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