PAC gives district officials second chance to defend themselves

MBARARA – Four districts in Ankole region had their accounting officials sent home by the Parliamentary Accounts Committee [ PAC ] after they failed to present documents related to the money spent in the financial year 2021/22.

While concluding the PAC probe in Mbarara on Thursday, Bardege-Layibi Division MP, Martin Ojara Mapenduzi told journalists that officials from local governments of Ntungamo district, Mbarara district, Mbarara City, Sheema Municipality, Rwampara district, and Rukungiri Municipality were given more two weeks to prepare before facing the committee afresh in Kampala.

Mapendunzi was however disappointed that the named local governments failed to show how they spent the money disbursed for the different activities during the financial year 2021/22.

Among the issues that lacked clear explanation are; land grabbing, pensioners’ funds, and staff delay of access to the payroll system.

“For Mbarara district and Mbarara city, we are inviting them again to Kampala because there are a number of land issues that are not documented. People are grabbing land and this has to be sorted out,” Mapenduzi said.

The MP added that a number of district officials were not prepared when they appeared before PAC , the reason why some were asked to go back and prepare before meeting the committee again in Kampala.

We don’t want to force people to give false information, we should give them adequate time to go and prepare.  There was a question of access to the payroll where some staff take long to be added after they are recruited,” Mapenduzi added.

“If the government gave you money and you are telling us a different amount, where is the other missing money? Otherwise, we will force you to refund the money from your pocket,” Mapenduzi told the officials of Rukungiri Municipality.

“If you are saying you spent money on the activity, where are the documents to show that indeed you spent the money?  If you paid people to give us the details, who are the people you paid? Ours is purely evidence-based. We want to rely on facts and figures you cannot just tell stories,” he said.

He added that PAC was formed to help government to recover the missing funds but not to harass local government officials.

“We have come here to do justice. To do a duty for the country and we need to do it from an environment where people can be given a chance to speak freely because even a criminal needs to be listened to,” he emphasised.

Unlike the previous parliamentary PACs where arrests and harassment would catch up with district and municipality officials, Mapenduzi said he was impressed by the interactive session with most of the district officials.

“We have come to the end of our interaction with the entities in southwestern region, it has been a good one full of learning and sharing ideas but also putting accountability on the forefront of the interactions,” he said.

Mapenduzi added that there has been a general improvement in accounting for government funds spent by most of the districts.

“Unlike last year where majority accounting officers were grilled and forced to refund the money from their own pockets, this year we don’t have many cases.”

He advised district officials that, “When there are gaps identified, people should be able to look at how to improve those areas.”

He said many of the accounting officers recommended by PAC not to be reappointed for causing financial loss to government or abusing their powers have been punished by the local government.

https://thecooperator.news/mbarara-city-council-officials-fail-to-account-for-shs-6-4-bln/

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