Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 524794,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/524794/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Pukose",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1458,
        "legal_name": "Robert Pukose",
        "slug": "robert-pukose"
    },
    "content": "in terms of auditing. This Bill has come timeously so that we can look at, especially, the independence as provided in the constitution of the Office of the Auditor-General. The Auditor-General ought to be independent and in this Bill we are talking about how we should finance the Office of the Auditor-General. The Bill states that the Treasury shall appropriate money to the Office of the Auditor-General. I think this one takes away the independence because Treasury is one of the offices the Auditor-General is supposed to audit. If you are auditing an office that is supposed to give you money then it takes away your impartiality. When you are giving a report and it happens not to favour the person who gives you the money, then that person has the capacity to cripple you so that in the following financial year you will not be able to perform well! Therefore, I think this is an area that we are going to bring amendments so that we empower the Office of the Auditor-General for its independence. It should be the National Assembly that is appropriating it. Who audits the Auditor-General? Is it the Public Investments Committee (PIC) or Public Accounts Committee (PAC)? If it is these two committees, then they should give a report concerning the Auditor-General’s Office. Hon. Speaker, the main challenge facing auditors is the fight against corruption. Auditors need to be answerable to the disciplinary system within the Office of the Auditor-General. It should be the Auditor-General to employ and fire those auditors within a system of their own human resource. That way, it will be possible to maintain discipline. When we say that the Office of the Auditor-General, in consultation with the Public Service Commission (PSC), is going to hire employees, then that takes away the independence. What this means is that the staff are going to be answerable to the PSC. When a complaint is raised about the staff within the Auditor-General’s Office, it means that it is another body that regulates them and, therefore, it would be very difficult to maintain discipline. Many of the auditors, especially when they go to Ministries, they become like Traffic Police officers. As much as they are doing audit they also want to be given something so that they can look the other way. Therefore, this is an area that Parliament needs to look into. How do we seal these loopholes? Many a time auditors have blackmailed heads of parastatals or heads of departments to part with some money so that they can write favourable reports. This is an area that this House needs to look into. As we bring these amendments we should rein in the auditors and have a disciplined office of the Auditor-General. One of the biggest challenges is how to link up the report of the Auditor-General so that it is timeously presented to the PAC and discussed within the financial year. This Parliament has tried. Previously we used to talk of reports which delayed for three, four or five financial years. That has been a big problem. With those few remarks, I want to support this Bill."
}