MPs rap foreign affairs officials over CHOGM expenditures
MPS on the public accounts committee have rapped officials of the foreign affairs ministry for failure to turn up and defend expenditures incurred during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala.
By M. Karugaba and H. Mukasa
MPS on the public accounts committee have rapped officials of the foreign affairs ministry for failure to turn up and defend expenditures incurred during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala.
The Government, in the 2007/8 financial year, released sh255b for the preparations for CHOGM.
In December 2008, the Government requested the Auditor General, John Muwanga, to carry out an audit of the funds. According to the audit, the expenditure has risen to sh370b.
The foreign affairs permanent secretary, James Mugume, in a letter of October 28 to the committee chairman, Nandala Mafabi, asked for more time, saying he had gone for the burial of presidential adviser Fr. Albert Byaruhanga.
“Refer to our telephone conversation. I will not be able to appear before the committee as scheduled because I have to attend the burial of Byaruhanga. He was a very good family friend. Please, if you could, fix another date sometime next week,†Mugume said.
His explanation angered some MPs on the committee who accused him of buying time.
They complained that this was the second time the ministry’s team had failed to appear before them. “Whatever method they try to advance, they will have to account for the funds. They will not escape. They have to account for the tax payers’ money they spent on CHOGM. They have to answer,†Mafabi said.
“I assure you that we are going to deal with all those who received the CHOGM money,†he vowed.
Tom Kazibwe (NRM) said the ministry was trying to buy time.
“Those are just excuses to delay the probe. I don’t think they know how the money was spent,†he said.
Theodore Ssekikubo (NRM) said there should not be double standards in the crusade against corruption.
“We should meet as a committee and take a decision. We should not see the Machumbis (health ministry principal accountant) of this world being probed when the big fish are walking around,†Sekikubo said.
The Inspector General of Government recently directed the permanent secretary in the finance ministry to initiate dismissal of Nester Machumbi, the principal accountant in the health ministry, for failure to explain the source of his wealth said to be in billions and not commensurate to his income.
The committee has lined up 12 ministers and their permanent secretaries for scrutiny on how the sh370b CHOGM funds were spent. The committee has reserved two weeks for ministries and government departments to account for the funds spent on the summit.
According the committee timetable, the foreign affairs ministry was supposed to appear first because it was the overall supervisor of the activities.
The Prime Minister’s office is expected today.
Other ministries lined up are finance, trade and industry, local government, works and transport, water and environment, gender, labour and social development, information and communication technology and health.
MPS on the public accounts committee have rapped officials of the foreign affairs ministry for failure to turn up and defend expenditures incurred during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala.
The Government, in the 2007/8 financial year, released sh255b for the preparations for CHOGM.
In December 2008, the Government requested the Auditor General, John Muwanga, to carry out an audit of the funds. According to the audit, the expenditure has risen to sh370b.
The foreign affairs permanent secretary, James Mugume, in a letter of October 28 to the committee chairman, Nandala Mafabi, asked for more time, saying he had gone for the burial of presidential adviser Fr. Albert Byaruhanga.
“Refer to our telephone conversation. I will not be able to appear before the committee as scheduled because I have to attend the burial of Byaruhanga. He was a very good family friend. Please, if you could, fix another date sometime next week,†Mugume said.
His explanation angered some MPs on the committee who accused him of buying time.
They complained that this was the second time the ministry’s team had failed to appear before them. “Whatever method they try to advance, they will have to account for the funds. They will not escape. They have to account for the tax payers’ money they spent on CHOGM. They have to answer,†Mafabi said.
“I assure you that we are going to deal with all those who received the CHOGM money,†he vowed.
Tom Kazibwe (NRM) said the ministry was trying to buy time.
“Those are just excuses to delay the probe. I don’t think they know how the money was spent,†he said.
Theodore Ssekikubo (NRM) said there should not be double standards in the crusade against corruption.
“We should meet as a committee and take a decision. We should not see the Machumbis (health ministry principal accountant) of this world being probed when the big fish are walking around,†Sekikubo said.
The Inspector General of Government recently directed the permanent secretary in the finance ministry to initiate dismissal of Nester Machumbi, the principal accountant in the health ministry, for failure to explain the source of his wealth said to be in billions and not commensurate to his income.
The committee has lined up 12 ministers and their permanent secretaries for scrutiny on how the sh370b CHOGM funds were spent. The committee has reserved two weeks for ministries and government departments to account for the funds spent on the summit.
According the committee timetable, the foreign affairs ministry was supposed to appear first because it was the overall supervisor of the activities.
The Prime Minister’s office is expected today.
Other ministries lined up are finance, trade and industry, local government, works and transport, water and environment, gender, labour and social development, information and communication technology and health.