In a dramatic shift in the event, officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports were rejected by the Congressional Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for appearing to be confused by the submission.
The committee, chaired by Vice-Chairman Gorreth Namugga, was not impressed by the ministry’s team led by the ministry’s secretary, Kedrace Turyatemba, as it did not bring in the necessary officers to the necessary officers to respond to the audit queries.
The query in question is related to the vocational education phase 2 project. This is funded by a $14 million OPEC loan and $2.4 million in government counterpart funding.
However, the project manager has raised serious concerns as he cannot explain why the government spent more than Sh30 billion in counterparts in place of Sh10 billion.
Despite a 20-minute suspension allowing the project’s accountants to appear, the authorities failed to provide satisfactory answers and urged the committee to dismiss them.
“Minist officials have been given to be organized accountable until next week,” Nanga said.
The termination highlights the committee’s commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
As Nangaga emphasized, “Unless we are ready to answer our questions, officials cannot appear before us.”
The Ministry of Education and Sports is given a second chance to redeem itself, but the interests are high. One thing is clear as the committee awaits their return. Accountability and transparency are paramount.
