Maravi

PAC sends PS away for submitting incomplete report

PAC sends PS away for submitting incomplete report
By Moses Kuwema
Fri 09 Mar. 2012, 11:58 CAT

THE Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday sent back acting permanent secretary in the ministry of local government and housing Kawila Lushinga for giving the committee insufficient responses.

In his submission to the PAC, Lushinga kept giving assurances instead of the action that had been taken on officers involved in the various irregularities that were raised by the Auditor General's report.

Lushinga kept saying efforts were being made to have the records for the various issues that were raised in the audit report, among them issues of missing payment vouchers, stores items without receipt and disposal details, unsupported payment vouchers, unapproved payments vouchers and poor record maintenance.

Before Lushinga could finish his submission, MMD Chembe member of parliament Mwansa Mbulakulima chipped in saying he had never seen a report which was as incomplete as the one the acting permanent secretary was presenting.

"Our colleagues are far from being ready to present their report. All they are telling us is that efforts are being made, what are we sitting here for? Mbulakulima asked.

Chairperson of the committee, Chipangali MMD member of parliament Vincent Mwale then added that the committee was interested in convincing answers like what had happened to the officers involved in the various irregularities cited in the audit report.

"These are public resources and we need proper explanations. I cannot allow this submission. We are not getting responses that we are suppose to get. It will make a lot of sense to yourself and us if you went back to re-do this report. As a committee we are required to submit before the House the right responses and report. We need to give you more time, we will not take this submission," Mwale ruled.

Lushinga then requested that he be given at least a month to re-do the report.

But Mwale said it was difficult for his committee to give all that time because their sitting was going up to the end of March and instead gave Lushinga 10 days.

Lushinga then pleaded that the 10 days was not enough saying the report involved over 70 councils countrywide.

In response, Mwale said: "This report does not include all the councils, it's just a few and I don't think they are beyond 15. We will give you 10 days and we will see how you will go with it. Our schedule is tight."

Labels: AUDITOR GENERAL, PAC, PERMANENT SECRETARIES

posted by MrK @ 4:30 PM