Govt names accounting officers sleeping on job

A leaked document from the Ministry of Finance shows that at least 18 out of 319 accounting officers for various central government votes are allegedly ineligible for reappointment for the Financial Year 2022/2023.

The allegedly ineligible accounting officers for the central government votes are from 13 district local governments, one municipal council, three agencies, and one referral hospital.

The Secretary to the Treasury, who is also the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Ramathan Ggoobi, yesterday wondered where we got the document, saying the leaked document was an internal memo, which hasn’t been made public.

“I am going to give out the final list of designated accounting officers for the year 2022/2023 and we are working on it. Those are documents in progress as the Auditor General scans through to advise me as the law requires so it is a working document. A final document is about to come out,” Mr Ggoobi said.

However, he didn’t offer details on when the ‘final’ list of accounting officers will come out.
 Some of the alleged ineligible accounting officers include the executive director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute, Prof Charles G. Kwesiga, the managing director of Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), Dr Emmanuel Lyamulemye Niyibigira, and the director of Fort portal Regional Referral Hospital, Dr Alex Adaku.   

The revelation is contained in a document from the ministry dated March 30, 2022.  The document, a copy which Monitor has seen, is titled: “List of Accounting officers for FY 2022/2023”.

The document further shows that at least 301 accounting officers are eligible for reappointment.

Eligibility means an accounting officer is implementing recommendations of the Internal Auditor General and the Auditor General as per responses from accounting officers.

According to the document, the 319 accounting officers are from ministries, agencies, External Security Organisation (ESO), referral hospitals and health institutions, missions abroad, district local governments, city councils, municipal councils, contingency fund, and the Petroleum Fund.

The law

The Public Finance Management Act 2015 11 (2) (g) requires the Secretary to the Treasury to appoint or designate accounting officers in accordance with the Act.

But the Act stipulates that the Secretary to the Treasury shall not appoint or designate a person an accounting officer where according to the report of an internal auditor or the Auditor General, that person has not accounted for the public resources and assets of the vote for a financial year.

An accounting officer is deemed to have failed to account for public resources or assets if he or she fails to exercise control over the receipt, custody and utilisation of financial resources of the vote, causing a significant deviation of the budget objectives of a vote.

INELIGIBLE ACCOUNTING OFFICERS

Name, title and Institution/local govt

Prof Charles Kwesiga    Executive director     Uganda Industrial Research Institute
Dr Emmanuel L. Nivibieira    Managing director    Uganda Coffee Development Authority
Mr Abdallah S. Oyare    Ag. Secretary    Soroti University
Dr Adaku Alex    Hospital director    Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital
Ms Tappy Namulondo    CAO   Kamuli District Local Government
Mr Willy T. Kafureka    CAO  Kamwenge District Local Government
Mr Alex Chelimo    CAO   Pader District Local Government
Mr Swalikh M. Wasswa    CAO    Rukungiri District Local Government
Mr Patrick Olila    CAO    Amolatar District Local Government
Mr George Adoko    CAO    Amuria District Local Government
Mr Wotunya Henry Peter    CAO    Manafwa District Local Government
Mr Joseph Maira Mukasa    CAO    Bukedea District Local Government
Mr James Andrew Ocen    CAO    Kalungu District Local Government
Mr Luke Jackson Abong    CAO   Nabilatuk District Local Government
Mr Nelson Kirenda    CAO    Bugweri District Local Government
Mr Eswilu Donath    CAO    Kassanda District Local Government
Mr Stephen Lokope    CAO    Karenga District Local Government
Mr Mukobi S. Byarufu    Town Clerk    Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipal Council