Parliament officials on Wednesday faced a hard time responding to queries raised by the Auditor General for the previous financial years since 2013/14.
The officials led by the Parliament clerk, Jane Kibirige comprising of a number of Parliament Commissioners were appearing before the committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE).
In the meeting chaired by COSASE Chairperson, Abdu Katuntu (MP Bugweri County), the Parliamentary Commission bosses were quizzed on non-compliance with treasury accounting instructions particulary in 2013/14 where the Parliamentary Commission made advances to personal accounts amounting to Shs 3.4 billion.
The accountability committee tasked the team to provide a status report on the unaccounted for advances of the said over Shs3.4 billion.
In her explanation, Kibirige said that the advance payment was as a result of the Commission’s field based activities across the country such as committee field trips.
“Ideally, committees are supposed to draw a work plan including a budget, but something urgent and abrupt will always come in and that is why we pick such advances,” Kibirige said, before Parliament’s Director of Finance, Patrick Kunobwa tasked him to explain better.
In his submission, Kunobwa broke down how the monies were spent, but when asked to lay on table receipts, invoices and other documents to qualify his submissions, neither Kunobwa nor any staff of the Commission had any.
The team was further tasked to account for the money given to MPs for trips abroad after it emerged that some MPs receive the money but do not travel for the said purpose. Kunobwa still could not give supporting documents to the effect that the money in question was recovered,
This irked COSASE members who agreed to adjourn the meeting to today, Thursday until the Commission provides all the required documents before they can proceed with other queries.
“This is an evidence based committee and there is nothing we can look at without companying documents. I want the Committee to know that we come here to scrutinize documents not to lament,” Bukoto East MP, Florence Namayanja said.
Anita Among, the COSASE vice chair said that the committee will not bend their laws because they are dealing with “our own.”
In his ruling, Katuntu gave the Commission up to 2pm yesterday to present all the required documents to his office for scrutiny ahead of today’s meeting.
Peter Ogwang, Parliamentary commissioner also Usuk County MP told the meeting that the Commission has all the supporting documents and there is no need for alarm or suspicion of corruption.
“As far as the Parliamentary Commission is concerned, we have all the supporting documents and before 2pm, I am ordering the clerk to give the documents to the Chairperson to scrutinize. It is true Parliament is the epitome of accountability and we shall be here tomorrow with the documents,” Ogwang said.
