Margaret Nyakang’o is a veteran accountant, financial manager, and civil servant serving as the Controller of the Budget. She was appointed on the 18th of November 2019 and went on to be sworn in on the 4th of December 2019 becoming the second person to hold the office it was established.
The office she holds is one of the independent offices with a security of tenure not exceeding eight years. Before she was appointed as the Controller of the Budget, the distinguished figure in the finance industry served as the Director of Finance and Administration at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics for a decade.
In our feature, we highlight the successful journey of Margaret Nyakang’o, we also highlight some of the challenges she has faced in her journey including the court cases.
Margaret Nyakang’o Age and Place of Birth
Dr. Margaret was born in 1959 in Kenya, however, her actual date of birth and county of birth are still unclear.
Educational Background
She is an educational Guru holding a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Liverpool. She also holds a Master of Business Administration specializing in Strategic Management from the University of Nairobi.
On top of that, she is also a Certified Sacco Professional which she earned from the University of Strathmore. She is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya, Certified ISO 9001:2008 Internal Auditor.
Margaret Nyakang’o Career
Her civil servant and finance journey began in November 1983 after she was hired to serve as the Principal Auditor at the Controller and Auditor’s Office. She served in this capacity for a decade, leaving the position in October 1994.
After a decade of serving at the office of Controller and Auditor, she went on to work with other organizations in Kenya including, the Lake Basin Development Authority, Harambee Sacco Society, Bob Morgan Services Limite, Mitun Business Consulting, Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology.
In November 2008, she was appointed to serve as the Director of Finance and Administration at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. She held the position for a decade, leaving the position in October 2018.
In January 2019 she began a new career as a lecturer at KCA University where she served for a year. Following the exit of Agnes Odhiambo who served as the CoB for a term of eight years. Margaret was among the people who sent the applications to take over from Odhiambo.
On 18th November 2019, she was elected as the best candidate to hold the office by former President Uhuru Kenyatta. After that, she appeared before the parliament vetting committee where she also passed and was sworn into the office on December 4th, 2019.
Holding an independent office with a security tenure of eight years, she is expected to leave the office in 2027.
Fraud Case and Arrest
Despite having a successful career, Margaret has also had her fair share of bad days in her career. On 4th December 2023, she was arrested in Mombasa County and charged on 5th December 2023 at Mombasa Law Court.
Margaret who appeared before Mombasa Chief was charged with four counts including.
- Conspiracy to defraud which is contrary to Section 317 of the Penal Code,
- Operating a Sacco without a License
- Forgery
- Uttering a False Document
The veteran finance personnel was charged alongside 10 other accused persons who were also present in court. After her plea of not guilty to the four counts, she was released on a Ksh 2 million bond with the option of a similar surety of Ksh 500,000 cash.
Margaret Nyakang’o Net Worth and Salary
Dr. Margaret Nyakang’o earns an annual package of Ksh 25.4 million, according to the Salary and Remuneration Commission. Speaking of her net worth, as of 2019 her net worth was Ksh 68 million an amount that she disclosed to the vetting committee.