The number of public entities that obtained clean audit opinions on value for money increased to 66 per cent in 2024 from 59 per cent in 2023, which represents a seven-parentage rise, Auditor General Alexis Kamuhire has said. He provided the update on Tuesday, May 6 as he presented to Parliament his report on public finance management and use for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Value for money in utilisation of public funds focuses on determining whether resources are used in an economic, effective and efficient manner. ALSO READ: Key findings in 2022-2023 Auditor General’s report Regarding financial statements, Kamuhire said that public entities that obtained clean audits increased to 94 per cent in 2024 from 92 per cent in 2023, while the number of entities that got clean audit opinions on compliance with laws and regulations increased to 75 per cent from 69 per cent. Meanwhile, on the implementation rate of audit recommendations, Kamuhire indicated that it slightly rose to 60 per cent from 59 per cent in the same period under review. Notably, public entities recovered or adjusted inflated bills amounting to nearly Rwf9.3 billion out of nearly Rwf9.4 billion reported since 2023, as a result of a preventive audit approach, according to the Office of the Auditor General. The Auditor General also noted that unlawful expenditure decreased by 28 per cent from Rwf 2.57 billion in 2023 to Rwf2 billion in 2024. ALSO READ: Unlawful expenditures drop as more public entities get clean audits Kamuhire said that his office audited 239 public entities and issued 242 financial audit reports, and 243 compliance audit reports compared to 222 financial audit reports and 220 compliance audit reports issued last year. In addition, he said, it carried out 18 performance audits focusing on the areas of national interest in different sectors, seven information systems (IS) audits focusing on technology and 10 special audits requested by stakeholders. He expressed concern over challenges, including delayed contracts, stalled construction projects, and idle assets. But, for idle assets, he said there was improvement as idle assets worth Rwf7 billion were recorded in 2024 compared to Rwf15 billion in the previous year. He urged the entities responsible for project implementation to expedite contract execution and improve service delivery to citizens. “Overall, we realise that there was improvement in public finance management though there are still issues that need to be addressed, such as fast-tracking project implementation and delivering good service,” he said.
