Parliament summons Judiciary Permanent Secretary

The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has summoned Kagole Kivumbi, the Permanent Secretary (PS) to the Judiciary, who is also the institution's Accounting officer.

Kivumbi who was supposed to appear before the committee to answer queries from the Auditors report failed to show up following routine adjournment of proceedings on Monday.

While meeting a team from the Judiciary on Wednesday, the legislators expressed their disappointment and gave the directive that Kivumbi appears on Wednesday without fail.

"We are directing you to go and tell the PS that tomorrow at 10:00 am, he must appear here. Failure to do so, we shall issue criminal summons," chair to the committee, Nandala Mafabi (Budadiri West) told the Judiciary team.

Mafabi said Kivumbi has to appear before the committee as he was the Accounting officer during the year 2018, in which the report was made and is accountable for whatever queries the committee may have.

According to Article 164 of the constitution, the permanent secretary or an accounting officer in charge of a ministry or department is explicitly made accountable to Parliament for funds appropriated and spent.

"If he had an issue, he should have come to the committee yesterday and explained. Even if you had been given authority, you would not have submitted as he is the one supposed to be in charge," he said.

Kivumbi had sent his personal lawyer, Obed Mwebasa, to explain why he wasn't able to attend the meeting, which the legislators said was unlawful and it accused him of being in contempt of Parliament.

"We know that he knows that we are here. We expected to find him here but he has sent his personal lawyer to explain his absence," Esta Nambayo, Judiciary's Chief Registrar told the legislators when they asked where he was.

They asked her to call Kivumbi and ask him to appear but she was not able to get hold of him, saying his numbers were off.