Dar es Salaam. The Former Controller and Auditor General (CAG), Ludovick Utouh, has advised authorities to let internal audit reports in government corporations be forwarded to the Chief Secretary and not just to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance.
Speaking at a budget forum organised by The Chanzo Specials, a citizen-centred platform discussing issues of high public interest, Mr Utouh said that through the Chief Secretary, the reports can easily reach the Cabinet that is chaired by the President.
That way, the President could have the chance to know the performance of the government-owned business institutions and be able to hold the embezzlers accountable even before the CAG reports are tabled in Parliament.
In a debate that highlighted the current state of accountability and how to build a responsible society held in Dar es Salaam on Monday, experts said the daunting revelations by CAG reports in recent years reflect the kind of lawmakers and their legal mandate to hold the government accountable.
Mr Utouh noted that the time has come for the chief internal auditor to be empowered and given financial and administrative independence so that he or she can do his or her job properly, without influence.
“As it is now, the chief internal auditor does not have functional independence because he or she currently reports to the permanent secretary of the ministry of Finance and the reports do not have a direct way to reach the President and the Cabinet,” he said.
“If we can achieve this, there are many things that will not wait for the CAG report to be worked upon, and we will be able to take steps while relying on the parliament to do its constitutional mandate of holding the government to account,” he further said.
The embezzlement of public funds took centre stage in the forum, with experts saying the recent CAG report offered ground for parliamentarians to play their legal role in making the estimated budget of Sh44.4 trillion for the financial year 2023/24 be efficiently used.
According to them, the ongoing budget debate should put accountability issues at the forefront to enhance inclusive economic growth through its execution and monitor the budget’s implementation before even waiting for the audits.
ACT-Wazalendo Party Leader, Zitto Kabwe, gave an example of the way CAG reports were being worked on in the past, especially how stringent actions were being taken against embezzlers, with those whose offices were found to have unexplainable audit queries being forced to step down.
“Right now, we are not seeing this due to the type of Parliament we have. The Parliament must do its job properly so that Tanzanians can see the benefit of the legislature in their lives,” he said.
The challenge was in the way the people elect legislators.
Register to begin your journey to our premium contentSubscribe for full access to premium content
