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{
    "id": 420869,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/420869/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 269,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ababu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 108,
        "legal_name": "Ababu Tawfiq Pius Namwamba",
        "slug": "ababu-namwamba"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I was mentioning that several of the issues you referred to, indeed came to the attention of the House. One of them is Article 229(4) which is clear that within six months after the end of each financial year, the Auditor-General shall audit and report in respect to that financial year. We also do take notice of Article 203(2) and (3) and especially (3) which says that the amount referred to, that is the division of revenue between the national Government and the county governments is based on the most recent audited accounts of revenue received and approved by the National Assembly. This, of course, raises fundamental questions when the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) is sharing revenue between the national Government and the county governments. The basis for that sharing is these audited accounts as approved by this House. This places even a greater urgency on this House to be up to date for purposes of determining accurately the revenue share between the national Government and the county governments. The Reports we have just tabled here, for the Financial Years 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 were, in fact, prepared by the previous Committee and for some strange reasons, as at the time when the life of the Tenth Parliament lapsed, those Reports were never brought to the attention of the House. It is only later after this Committee was put in place - and you will remember this Committee came into being a bit late in the day because of the procedural issues that you understand were going on in the House at that time. We then realized that we had a whole two financial years not yet cleared in terms of audited accounts approved by this House. We have taken the unprecedented measure of submitting double reports in the House at the same time. It has never happened before - it is a precedent. We are also taking an unprecedented measure in an attempt to be up to date and live within the spirit of Article 203(3). Right now, we are targeting to complete reports for two Financial Years, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, which we hope again to do a double submission in the House in a bid to be up to date. But in terms of Article 229(4), I would say we have a crisis. It is an absolute crisis and the Committee is grappling with how to handle that because the Office of the Auditor-General is on trial here. That is because of the speed at which it handles the accounts. The Temporary Deputy Speaker, you would want to note that – and this is also for the benefit of the House - before the Committee receives audited accounts from the Auditor-General, the Committee can do nothing. What the Committee has at the moment is accounts for the Financial Year 2011/2012. So, even as we talk about being up to date, our hands are tied until the Auditor-General has come up to date himself. But the Auditor-General is also hampered by activities of accounting officers who take forever."
}