Lawmakers spar in Parliament over queries on ‘missing’ Sh1.5tr
Kibamba MP John Mnyika debates the 2018/19 budget estimates of the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Parliament in Dodoma yesterday. Left is Rombo MP Joseph Selasini. Another picture on Page 3. PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI
Dodoma. There was commotion in Parliament yesterday as MPS stuck to their parties’ positions on the recently released reports by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG), forcing Speaker Job Ndugai to intervene.
It all started in the morning as the session was being chaired by Ms Najma Giga when Mr John Mnyika (Kibamba-Chadema) became the first MP to debate the budget estimates for the Ministry of Finance and Planning for the financial year 2018/19.
Mr Mnyika started his motion by questioning the whereabouts of Sh1.5 trillion highlighted by the CAG in his audit report for 2016/17 financial year. “When the government came to explain about the missing Sh1.5 trillion as highlighted in the CAG audit report a few days ago, the Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, said Sh209 billion of the money was sent to the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar,” said Mr Mnyika, adding that he had not seen the money anywhere in the government documents. His argument was, however, interrupted by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled), Ms Jenista Mhagama, who stood on a point of order.
She said issues pertaining to the CAG’s Report were not to be discussed anyhow in the House.
“There is a laid down procedure in our laws and in the Parliamentary Standing Orders on how the CAG Report is to be debated in this august House,” said Ms Mhagama.
Her argument was greeted with a backlash from the opposition, with lawmakers there saying Ms Mhagama herself and several other ministers as well as CCM lawmakers have repeatedly responded to the CAG’s reports during the past few days.
At that point, there was total commotion in the House as several opposition MPs – including John Heche (Tarime Rural), Peter Msigwa (Iringa Urban) and Halima Mdee (Kawe) -- stood up in the endeavour to shoot down Ms Mhagama’s point.
The situation was later compounded by Mr Ali Omar (Jang’ombe-CCM) who uttered a statement that was viewed as irksome to the opposition bench.
“I can hear the sound of ‘barking dogs’ in this House. We should take them out and proceed,” he said, sending uproars from the minority bench.
It reached a point whereby Ms Giga almost failed to steer the debate, forcing Mr Ndugai to come and take the chair at around 10:48am.
The sessions then proceeded normally.
