The Public Accounts Committee (Local Government) has summoned the former Rwampara Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Stephen Rubaihayo, to respond to accountability queries.
Rubaihayo, who was the accounting officer until September 2022 has been summoned to respond to the queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for Financial Year 2021/22.
The committee chaired by Hon. Patrick Isingoma Mwesigwa on Tuesday, 14 March 2023 found the acting CAO, Rose Nalumansi legally ‘unbefitting’ to respond to the Auditor General’s queries.
Nalumansi, who is barely one year in office, was leading Rwampara District Local Government officials before the committee.
“Rose Nalumansi is the acting CAO. Is she substantive enough to answer whatever queries in that capacity?” Hon. Philiphs Lokwang (NRM, Napore West County) asked.
He demanded that Nalumansi tables a copy of the instruments appointing her as acting CAO and accounting officer.
Without providing proof, Nalumansi said, ‘I have an instrument appointing me as acting CAO by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government. However, I don’t have the instrument of power appointing me as accounting officer by the PSST [Secretary to the Treasury] because I was posted there on 13 September 2022 and the financial year had already been planned’.
Her attempts to search on phone for the letter appointing her as acting CAO could not bear any fruits as the committee insisted that she provides proof that she was duly appointed as acting CAO and accounting officer and therefore, lawfully competent to respond to audit queries.
With guidance from the committee legal counsel, Hon. Isingoma asked the team from Rwampara to go back and return with proper documents at a date that will be communicated to them.
“What we are dealing with here is the accounting officer. Your period of operation falls completely outside the year under review. We don’t want to waste time with somebody who will be constantly irrelevant,” Isingoma said.
Jonam County Member of Parliament, Hon. Emmanuel Ongiertho said it was unprecedented that a district has no substantive accounting officer.
Section 11 (2) (g) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015 mandates the Secretary to the Treasury to appoint accounting officers for all ministries and local governments.