Maravi

Western Province accounts officials resisting new system – PS

Western Province accounts officials resisting new system – PS
By Moses Kuwema
Fri 09 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT

WESTERN Province permanent secretary Ikanuke Noyoo yesterday complained that the officials in the accounts department at the provincial office are resisting the new system he wants to introduce because they feel the money is theirs.

[They should be fired. - MrK]

Appearing before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Bweengwa member of parliament Highvie Hamududu, Noyoo said the system he had tried to put in place had been rejected.

“The other biggest impediment is that even when you present issues of financial irregularities to the police, no action is taken and if I push too hard I am seen to be personal. But I can assure you that I am trying hard to do a professional job,” Noyoo said.

“We need time to sit down with the officers to look at the Auditor General’s report so that we do something better next time we appear before this committee, we need to also beef up our staff and get the right responses from the police.”

Noyoo revealed that out of K300 million, only K185 million was retired by the officers.

Hamududu said it was evident that Noyoo was not getting enough support from officers regarding financial matters.

He said there was need for Noyoo to personally get involved in the irregularities at his office.

“We are not going to send you back but we shall soon be making recommendations on how Western Province can be dealt with, with regards to financial irregularities…you need to be given the capacity to deal with the past so that the province can be cleaner,” he said.

Hamududu expressed concern at the unsupported payments that were revealed in the Auditor General’s report.

“There is no way documents can be missing after spending some money…this is pure theft someone is cooking up receipts. What has been done to these officers because abuse of resources cannot be tolerated?” wondered Hamududu.

Labels: ACCOUNTING, CORRUPTION, HIGHVIE HAMUDUDU, IKANUKE NOYOO, PAC, WESTERN PROVINCE

posted by MrK @ 3:04 PM