Speaker Jacob Oboth-Oboth has urged MPs serving on the Public Accounts Committees (PAC) to carry out their oversight role with fairness, professionalism and independence, saying the committees should protect public trust rather than become platforms for political score-settling.
Oboth-Oboth made the remarks while closing a two-day induction seminar for members of the Public Accounts Committees at Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe.
He reminded legislators that Parliament’s oversight responsibility is to ensure that public resources are spent for the purposes approved by Parliament and in the interest of Ugandans.
“Your duty is not to hunt individuals nor to settle political scores. Your duty is to restore public confidence that government resources are used for the purposes approved by Parliament,” Oboth-Oboth said.
Oboth-Oboth said members of the committees should be guided by the principles of fairness, independence, professionalism and timeliness when carrying out their work.
He said the success of the committees should not be measured by the number of reports they produce or the number of witnesses they summon.
Instead, he said, their work should result in better public service delivery and stronger public confidence in government institutions.
Oboth-Oboth warned that delayed accountability weakens Parliament’s oversight function and allows problems in the management of public resources to persist.
He urged committee members to ensure that their findings are based on evidence and are free from political influence.
The speaker also challenged Parliament to uphold the same standards of integrity and accountability that it demands from public officials.
He noted that unresolved audit queries often have direct consequences on the quality of services delivered to citizens, making it important for Parliament to address them promptly.
“When the people of Uganda entrust us with the responsibility to oversee their resources, what exactly are they placing in our hands? They are placing in our hands their trust,” Oboth-Oboth said.
He called on MPs to protect that trust by conducting their oversight work objectively and in the public interest.
The Public Accounts Committees play a central role in Parliament’s oversight mandate.
They examine government expenditure and review reports from the Auditor General to ensure that public funds are used for their intended purposes and that public institutions remain accountable for the resources entrusted to them.
