The Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure has directed the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to detain three officials from the Office of the Auditor General for questioning over their role in the controversial digital number plates project.
The officials were directed to record statements after members of parliament questioned their handling of audits relating to the agreement between the government and Joint Stock Company, the firm contracted to implement the digital number plates system.
The committee members accused the officials of failing to provide satisfactory explanations about whether they had adequately scrutinised the company’s operations and advised the government on audit queries raised against the project.
The three officials are Anthony Kimuli, the director responsible for value-for-money audits, Martin Bamulumbye and Emmanuel Ebuchu.
The officials appeared before the committee to explain whether the Office of the Auditor General had carried out the required due diligence, including quarterly audits provided for under the agreement with Joint Stock Company.
The MPs wanted to establish whether the auditors had examined the company’s performance, identified irregularities and advised the government on the appropriate action to take when audit queries arose.
Committee chairperson Mwine Mpaka questioned whether the auditors had fulfilled their responsibility to protect public resources by ensuring that concerns raised during the audits were addressed.
“Did you do due diligence by advising government on what to do after finding audit queries in the various sectors charged with number plates?” Mpaka asked.
The officials struggled to convince the legislators, who expressed frustration over what they considered inadequate answers about the auditors’ role in monitoring the project.
The MPs questioned why the Office of the Auditor General had not done more to ensure that audit findings translated into action by the relevant government agencies.
James Waluswaka, another member of the committee, called for the officials to be held at Parliament to face further questioning over their conduct.
“I think these officials need to be retained because they failed in their duties,” he said.
After deliberations, Mpaka directed Parliament’s police to take the three officials for questioning by CID.
“In this particular matter, you have betrayed your Parliament, yet you are part of us, through misconduct and in every way possible,” Mpaka said.
“You are going to police, all of you, to record statements, and you won’t be released until your boss appears here,” he ruled.
The directive followed growing concern among MPs about accountability in the digital number plates project, which has faced scrutiny over the government’s agreement with Joint Stock Company and the management of public funds linked to its implementation.
The committee is examining the responsibilities of different government institutions in overseeing the project, including whether officials carried out their contractual and oversight duties.
Meanwhile, the committee issued summons to officials from the Ministry of Finance after they failed to appear before the MPs as previously promised.
The ministry officials’ absence angered committee members, particularly because it was the second time they had failed to appear before the committee over the digital number plates matter.
The summons are intended to compel the officials to appear and explain the ministry’s role in the project and respond to the questions raised by the legislators.
