In a missive that was a follow-up to audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor General, which points out issues in the various departments in the central governments and the local governments, Muhakanizi gave the officials until April 20 to account for funds or face punitive measures
The Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, has put former personal doctor to President Museveni, Dr Diana Atwine, and Uganda National Roads Authority executive director, on the knife’s edge over failure to manage funds.
Dr Atwine, now the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, and Kagina are among more than 100 accounting officers, including some powerful Permanent Secretaries, on the spot. The officials face the sacked for alleged failure to account for funds.
Dr Atwine is faulted for mischarge of expenditure, unsupported payables and illegal transfer of funds while Kagina has reportedly failed as accounting officer to collect withholding tax from contractors.
In a missive that was a follow-up to audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor General, which points out issues in the various departments in the central governments and the local governments, Muhakanizi gave the officials until April 20 to account for funds or face punitive measures
In a March 28 letter to Parliament, the Treasury secretary said the accounting officers must provide accountability for audit queries raised by the Auditor General or be replaced.
Ironically, Muhakanizi and Finance minister Matia Kasaija were as recently as March facing censure over misappropriation of UGX700 billion, among other issues related to the funds.
Read: Will the Shs720bn PTA loan scandal be the straw that breaks Kasaija, Muhakanizi’s backs?
He has flagged them as ineligible for appointment to manage next financial year’s budgets.
“Accounting officers who fail to do so will have committed an offence in accordance with Section 79 of the PFM (Public Finance Management) Act 2015, and I may recommend surcharges against them as provided for in Section 80 of the same Act, in addition to other administrative sanctions,