Soroti District Woman MP, Angelina Osege

Members of Parliament have put Uganda’s missions abroad  on the spotlight over their failure to  remit  funds collected from the sale Visas and rental fees of the country’s properties abroad to the consolidated fund.

The MPs says officials in these missions bank the collected funds from the Non Tax Revenue but that these funds do not reflect at the consolidated fund.

Angelina Osege, the Soroti District Woman, who also Chairs the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee said on Thursday that there have been many anomalies detected at the Uganda mission in Nairobi where by 276 million shillings was collected and that there are no receipts acknowledging funds from the people from whom the Non Tax Revenue is collected.

Keith Muhakanizi the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance.

While interfacing with the Ministry of Finance officials led by the Secretary to Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, MPs who included that for Ntungamo Municipality, Gerald Karuhanga and Jessica Ababiku of Adjuman district questioned the Accountant General, Lawrence Semakula and Muhakanizi, over their non action yet money is being lost in Uganda’s missions abroad.

Later Semakula admitted that there is an anomaly and apologized before saying the they are going to ensure it is rectified.

“Actually as we speak, the ministry has directed the all accounting officers to encourage paying of visas through E-visa payment so as the fund is reflected to the consolidated fund directly. This is already a step towards streamlining these issues and I believe we shall rectify it,” he said.

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Keith Muhakanizi. The Secretary to the Treasury.

The Secretary to Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, recently faced rough time from Members of Parliament on the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the government entities that divert funds from the budgeted items to unbudgeted ones without Parliament’s approval.

This came up as MPs sitting on (PAC) noted that in the financial year 2014/15, at total of 73 billion shillings was spent to unbudgeted items  by accounting officers of government entities  without seeking Parliament’s approval contrary to the accounting regulations.

The MPs who were meeting with the officials from the Ministry of Finance over the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2014/15 grilled Keith Muhakanizi and the Accountant General, Lawrence Semakula, questioning why they allow the re-appointment of accounting officers who authorize diversion of budgeted funds to items which were not consider budgeted for.

Masaka Municipality MP, Mathius Mpuuga among the MPs.

The MPs who included;  the Chairperson of this Committee Angelina Ossege, MP for Rubanda East county, Henry Musasizi, Kalungu West MP, Joseph Gonzaga Sewungu and Masaka Municipality MP, Mathius Mpuuga and Buliisa County MP Stephen Mukitale at some point made Muhakanizi to sweat before the committee calling him to retire over the continued change of accounting officers from one government agencies to others despite of having abused public funds in their previous offices.

Muhakanizi however, later apologized for the re-appointment of such accounting officers but added that; “It’s not easy to retire yourself when you have not been chased”.

The Woman MP for Soroti district, Angelina Ossege, told the officials in the ministry of finance that is not right to allow the budget run on mischarge and faulted Muhakanizi for not punishing the accounting officers who allow mischarge.

Muhakanizi defended himself after serious questioning that they sacked some accounting officers over abuse of public funds and he tabled before the committee seven names of the sacked officers in 2016 and promised to sack more the same irregularities.

Some of the accounting officers he tabled before the committee who were not reappointed include the former Director in charge of Energy in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Eng.Paul Mubiru, the former secretary to the Equal opportunities commission, Amal Catherine, former Wakiso CAO, David Kigenyi Naluwayiro, former Zombo district CAO, Peter Okello, former CAO Nakapiripit district and the former CAO Alebtong district, Richard Rich Alioko.

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