Bigirimana tightens cash rules for Judiciary

The new Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Judiciary, Mr Pius Bigirimana, has issued a raft of new guidelines to tighten financial and accountability mechanism for inland and overseas travel and use of official vehicles at the institution.

The rules also impose on judicial officers the duty to expedite hearing of cases, file a report at the end of every session to show output, as well as direct courts to provide books in which witnesses summoned to testify sign attendance, including providing personal details.
Such information includes a witness’s full name, residential addresses, telephone and National Identity Card number.

The Office Notice Number 1/2019, which details the changes, was issued on Monday.
Mr Bigirimana directed that cash taken as advance must be accounted for within 60 days after receipt and that the Under Secretary shall put in place mechanisms to ensure that no person receives any more advance before accounting for previous funds.

“All expenditure must be consistent with departmental work plans. No expenditure request will be authorised unless such expenditure is reflected in the work plan. The plans must be clear, indicating the activities, expected outputs , output indicators, timelines,” he wrote, adding that only the PS will approve expenditures.

Describing Local Purchase Orders (LPOs) as ‘accountable documents’, Mr Bigirimana said the signing of LPOs can only be done by the accounting office, in this case the PS, and that with immediate effect, no payment will be made without supporting LPOs signed by himself or a delegated officer.
According to the notice, payments of individual allowances which are not duty-facilitating, will be made by using Electronic Funds Transfer on individual accounts.

He added: “Payment to hotels or venues for workshops will be made to proprietors at 75 per cent deposit and 25 per cent will be paid at the end of the function/event. Cash advances must always be paid only in emergencies and, or inevitable circumstances which shall be approved on a case-by-case basis and strictly in deserving circumstances.
The PS directed refunds will be made to only those with prior authorised request for expenditure by the accounting officer, but in inevitable circumstances where expenditure is already made, justification must always be made.

“Any official travel upcountry on weekends or public holidays by officers in U1 and above, with the exception of entitled officers (the PS, judges and Chief Registrar) must be made known and cleared by the PS.
Officers from U2 and below should inform and clear with their respective heads of department or their immediate supervisors,” reads the notice.
Mr Bigirimana also directed that all travels abroad for all public officers, must first be cleared by the PS, while other judicial officers must be cleared by the Chief Justice after being assured by the PS of availability of funds to facilitate the trip.

“Where funds have been availed by the Judiciary, on return, accountability for funds must be made with reports, ticket residues and boarding passes attached to the accountability,” he wrote.
The notice indicates that training will only be approved by a committee and should not interfere with normal working hours and schedules, but those which fall within office hours may be advised to proceed on leave without pay.

The new rules also tighten access to and use of official vehicles in the Judiciary.
“It should be noted that self-driven government vehicles can only be done with authority from accounting officers with a recommendation from the chief mechanical engineer. All those driving vehicles without authority are asked to have it regularised,” says the notice.
On taking leave, all staff members shall first handover official vehicles attached to their respective offices, apart from those entitled, among them judges, the PS and Chief Registrar.

Mr Bigirimana said he made the changes in exercise of powers conferred upon him as the accounting officer under Article 174, Article 164 of the Constitution and Section 45 of the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury Accounting Instructions and Directives issued by the Ministry of Finance for the general administration, management, procurement and financial discipline.
Last month, Mr Bigirimana was transferred from Gender ministry to the Judiciary, replacing Mr Kagole Kivumbi, who was sent on forced leave, pending inquiries into less-than-satisfactory accountability for Shs32b.

Background
Asked what had prompted him to issue the tough measures barely three weeks in office, Mr Bigirimana said his notice was a reminder to all judiciary staff so that “no body remains ignorant.”

The new PS declined to discuss whether the advance system had been abused or official vehicles mismanaged.
Mr Solomon Muyita, the Judiciary spokesperson, yesterday said both the Judicial and non-judicial staff at the institution have welcomed the reforms.
“It was important for the staff to understand the strategic thinking of the accounting officer early enough, for they can now adjust their work plans to align with that of the PS,” he said.

Mr Muyita said staff are particularly excited about the promise to fast-track the enactment of the Judiciary Administration Bill into law, plans to expedite the Electronic Court Case Management Information System, provision of staff housing near courts, recruitments to fill vacant positions and purchase of more cars for employees.

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