Every institution should be audited
Apr 09, 2010
IT has been reported in the local press that a motion by a minister to have the office of Auditor General audited by independent auditors was blocked by the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi.
IT has been reported in the local press that a motion by a minister to have the office of Auditor General audited by independent auditors was blocked by the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi.
I think Ssekandi is wrong this time. The departments of Government are audited to check whether they are utilising public resources properly and ensure that the taxpayer is deriving value for money from the activities and expenditure of such departments.
We are also interested in knowing whether the institutions of the Auditor General, IGG and PAC are using the resources entrusted to them properly and whether they are delivering commensurate value to the taxpayer.
If it is good for the Auditor General, IGG and PAC to audit and probe all other institutions of Government, why would it be bad for them to be audited and probed as well?
Are these institutions immune from scrutiny? If so, why? Is it because they are manned by saints that we should not expect them to misuse public resources? Where are their workers recruited from?
If we are to avoid double standards and set high stakes in the fight against corruption, anti-corruption agencies like the Auditor Generals Office, IGG and PAC should be thoroughly and regularly probed to ensure that ‘the cleaner’ is himself clean enough if not cleaner than everybody else.
Kabuzi J. Kabengo
Kampala
I think Ssekandi is wrong this time. The departments of Government are audited to check whether they are utilising public resources properly and ensure that the taxpayer is deriving value for money from the activities and expenditure of such departments.
We are also interested in knowing whether the institutions of the Auditor General, IGG and PAC are using the resources entrusted to them properly and whether they are delivering commensurate value to the taxpayer.
If it is good for the Auditor General, IGG and PAC to audit and probe all other institutions of Government, why would it be bad for them to be audited and probed as well?
Are these institutions immune from scrutiny? If so, why? Is it because they are manned by saints that we should not expect them to misuse public resources? Where are their workers recruited from?
If we are to avoid double standards and set high stakes in the fight against corruption, anti-corruption agencies like the Auditor Generals Office, IGG and PAC should be thoroughly and regularly probed to ensure that ‘the cleaner’ is himself clean enough if not cleaner than everybody else.
Kabuzi J. Kabengo
Kampala