The Ministry of Finance is yet to take action against the 51 accounting officers that were recommended by Parliament to be dropped.

The Ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury, Patrick Ocailap, has told New Vision that the Ministry cannot take action without following the law.

According to the Public Finance and Management Act 2015, the accounting officers are appointed on the recommendation of the Internal Auditor.

“We received the instructions, but every year the PS appoints the accounting officers on the basis of the internal auditor general’s assessment. We shall also act on that basis and see whether to appoint or not,” Ocailap said.

Parliament last week directed the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, to immediately drop 51 accounting officers who did not table their institution budgets for the financial year 2022/23 to Parliament for scrutiny.

"Parliament is directing the PSST to withdraw their appointment immediately and table a list of new accounting officers that you have appointed to replace them,” Among ordered.

MPs heard that out of 64 agencies, only 14 tabled their budgets in Parliament.

This was after MP Muwanga Kivumbi while presenting a minority report on the budget, said while the Public Finance Management Act prohibits the utilization of funds without presenting it to Parliament for appropriation, a number of agencies were spending billions of money not appropriated.

"We have established that they are a number of agencies that do not bring their budgets to Parliament. These huge funds go scrutinized. We need action against them," she said.
 
MPs Nandala Mafabi and Geoffrey Ekanya said it was illegal and action should be taken against the errant accounting officers.

Parliament is currently scrutinizing the 2022/23 budget.