In short
Uganda National Roads Authority officials allegedly defrauded the road fund by partly making payments in cash, which is prohibited for government agencies in the treasury law.
30 percent of the annual funds given to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) by the Uganda Road Fund for periodic maintenance of roads is lost.
An audit report by the Fund reveals that the UNRA headquarters and stations were unable to account for the funds every year.
Appearing before the UNRA probe commission, Uganda Road Fund Executive Director, Eng. Mark Odongo said the funds have been disappearing in failed supply of gravel and failure to carry out planned activities yet the funds are released.
///Cue in ….. "That money
Cue out ….. bath water."///
While these loses were pointed out annually by the Uganda Road Fund's internal audits and the Auditor General's annual reports, no action was taken and government continued to lose funds every year.
Eng. Odongo told the commission that at one point, he wrote to the Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija and asked that the Auditor General be requested to do forensic audit on UNRA. The audit was done and a report remains shelved in Parliament.
The unstable leadership at UNRA as another gap that made it impossible for action to be taken on the internal audit reports.
//Cue in ….."The issues
Cue out ….. very important."//
The Uganda Road Fund is a body mandated by government to finance maintenance of public roads in Uganda.
The commission has since summoned the former chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Kasiano Wadri and the current chairperson, Alice Alaso to explain why the UNRA audit reports were never discussed.
The two opposition members of parliament will appear on 17th November, 2015 when the commissioners return from their bench marking trip to South Africa.
An audit report by the Fund reveals that the UNRA headquarters and stations were unable to account for the funds every year.
Appearing before the UNRA probe commission, Uganda Road Fund Executive Director, Eng. Mark Odongo said the funds have been disappearing in failed supply of gravel and failure to carry out planned activities yet the funds are released.
///Cue in ….. "That money
Cue out ….. bath water."///
While these loses were pointed out annually by the Uganda Road Fund's internal audits and the Auditor General's annual reports, no action was taken and government continued to lose funds every year.
Eng. Odongo told the commission that at one point, he wrote to the Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija and asked that the Auditor General be requested to do forensic audit on UNRA. The audit was done and a report remains shelved in Parliament.
The unstable leadership at UNRA as another gap that made it impossible for action to be taken on the internal audit reports.
//Cue in ….."The issues
Cue out ….. very important."//
The Uganda Road Fund is a body mandated by government to finance maintenance of public roads in Uganda.
The commission has since summoned the former chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Kasiano Wadri and the current chairperson, Alice Alaso to explain why the UNRA audit reports were never discussed.
The two opposition members of parliament will appear on 17th November, 2015 when the commissioners return from their bench marking trip to South Africa.