Pader CAO fails to account for sh8b
Mar 31, 2008
PADER district should be blacklisted for failing to account for over sh8b, MPs have said.
By Mary Karugaba
PADER district should be blacklisted for failing to account for over sh8b, MPs have said.
The acting chief administrative officer, Chalice Ottai, and the chief finance officer, George Okumu, failed to give the local government accounts committee documents proving the accountability.
According to Ottai, most of the money was excess expenditures and advances not yet accounted for.
Some of the documents provided to the committee stated that the district spent sh4.1b in excess during the 2005/06 financial year.
During the 2003/04 financial year, the district spent another sh1.7b as excess expenditure.
Ottai attributed the problem to the district’s failure to follow the reallocations and supplementary budgeting procedures. MPs also discovered that during the 2002/03 financial year, sh376m was advanced to individuals, sh1.9m remained as cash balances, sh278m was not unaccounted for, while sh105m was over-spent by the district.
According to the law, excess expenditure should be approved by the district council or the secretary to the treasury.
However, when the committee asked the CAO whether the expenditure was approved, he could not provide evidence.
PADER district should be blacklisted for failing to account for over sh8b, MPs have said.
The acting chief administrative officer, Chalice Ottai, and the chief finance officer, George Okumu, failed to give the local government accounts committee documents proving the accountability.
According to Ottai, most of the money was excess expenditures and advances not yet accounted for.
Some of the documents provided to the committee stated that the district spent sh4.1b in excess during the 2005/06 financial year.
During the 2003/04 financial year, the district spent another sh1.7b as excess expenditure.
Ottai attributed the problem to the district’s failure to follow the reallocations and supplementary budgeting procedures. MPs also discovered that during the 2002/03 financial year, sh376m was advanced to individuals, sh1.9m remained as cash balances, sh278m was not unaccounted for, while sh105m was over-spent by the district.
According to the law, excess expenditure should be approved by the district council or the secretary to the treasury.
However, when the committee asked the CAO whether the expenditure was approved, he could not provide evidence.