Inadequate funding is hampering the work of the Public Accounts Committee of parliament-PAC. The Public Accounts Committee is provided for under Rule No.148 of the Rules of Procedure. It is mandated to examine the audited accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure of government.
However, Kassiano Wadri, the PAC chairperson says that his committee only receives shillings 187 million each year for its activities. He says that the funding is meager compared to the money allocated to other committees in the 2011/2012 financial year.
Wadri says that given the difficult work of his committee, they submitted a budget of shillings 1.6 billion but only shillings 187 million was released. He says that the money was used to buy refreshments and stationery for the committee.
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Wadri says that with such meager funding the committee is reduced to arm chair research as opposed to carrying out a value for money on spot audits. Last year, PAC investigated the suspicious compensation of shillings 270 billion to seven companies for alleged breach of contract.
Government accepted to an out court settlement after the companies threatened to sue. They include Basil Engineering sh38.4b, Haba Group sh142.6b, Rhino Investments sh14.9b, Beach side development Servicessh5.2b, Dura Cement sh44.4b and Xpectrade sh3.9b.
Despite the meager funding, Wadri says that his committee registered some success, when two ministers were forced to resign for their role in the suspicious shillings 142 billion compensation to city businessman Hassan Bassajabalaba.
He says that the Dura cement and the Namanve investigation reports are due for tabling before parliament for debate. He says that government was not justified to cancel the Dura cement contract, three months after signing the contract.
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