Officials from the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) failed to convince the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) to proceed with their responses to audit queries raised by the Auditor General.
The officials appeared before COSASE to respond to queries contained in the Auditor General’s report, but the meeting was stopped after MPs questioned their preparedness and the documents they had presented.
The committee said the officials had brought conflicting documents, particularly on who was authorised to act as the accounting officer and respond to the audit queries on behalf of the UAC.
COSASE chairperson, Kyadondo East MP Muwada Nkunyingi, said the committee could not proceed because the officials had failed to provide a clear and consistent explanation.
“We could not proceed with these officials because they have come with uncoordinated and contradicting documents on who is supposed to be the accounting officer of the commission,” Nkunyingi said.
Nkunyingi said the committee was also not satisfied with documents presented to support the appointment of Tom Etii as acting Director General.
He said some of the appointment letters presented before the committee appeared to have been dated earlier than the period when Etii took over, creating uncertainty about the validity of the documents.
The uncertainty also raised questions about who was responsible for responding to the Auditor General’s queries.
Dr Nelson Musoba is the substantive director general of the UAC while Etii appeared before the committee in an acting capacity.
Musoba was reportedly away on medical leave when the commission officials appeared before COSASE.
Nkunyingi said the committee needed to establish clearly who had the legal authority to answer questions relating to the commission’s financial management and the audit findings.
Etii attempted to defend his appearance by reading two separate letters relating to his appointment and his authority to represent Musoba before the committee.
However, his explanation did not satisfy the MPs.
George Musisi, the MP for Kira Municipality, questioned whether Etii could proceed before the committee had established that he had been properly authorised to act on behalf of the commission’s accounting officer.
Musisi said the committee needed clear documentation before it could accept Etii’s responses to the audit queries.
Bamunanika County MP Robert Ssekitooleko said the committee should not waste time questioning officials who were not adequately prepared.
He said COSASE was interested in getting answers from the official responsible for the commission’s accounts and the audit queries raised by the Auditor General.
“We should not waste time on officials who are not prepared. We are interested in the accounting officer answering the queries in the Auditor General’s report,” Ssekitooleko said.
Budadiri East MP Julius Nakiyi Muntu also asked the UAC officials to return after putting their documents in order.
Nakiyi said the commission should either wait for Musoba to appear before the committee or ensure that all documents supporting Etii’s acting appointment were properly coordinated and consistent.
The MPs subsequently sent the officials away and directed them to return when they were properly prepared to answer the audit queries.
The aborted meeting means COSASE will have to reschedule its scrutiny of the UAC’s audit findings.
The committee’s main concern was not only the audit queries themselves but also the failure by the officials who appeared before it to establish clearly who had the authority to provide answers on behalf of the commission.
