Checks and balances: MPs tipped on govt oversight

Members of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Standing Committee on Budget and National Patrimony of the lower Chamber of Deputies are being trained in how to assess the allocation, management and the use of public funds for economic development. The two-day training, which kicked off yesterday, is underway in Kigali. It is facilitated by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) in partnership with the Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation (CAAF). The training comes after the Auditor’s General’s report for the year ended June 30, 2017 revealed cases of delayed and abandoned contracts in public entities. According to the report, 109 contracts, worth over Rwf206.8 billion, had been delayed or abandoned. Specifically, the OAG says, the training will improve the MPs’ capacity to conduct their oversight role. Obadiah Biraro, the Auditor General, said that most of the current members of the committees of budget and PAC are new, pointing out that as long as they use the AG’s report for their work, they need skills to make good use of it in a way that better benefits Rwandans. He added that tackling mismanagement of public finances such as wasteful or reckless spending requires specific skills. The AG report indicated that Rwf7.9 billion was spent in irregular expenditures – including funds that were spent in unjustified manner, wasteful expenses, diverted or fraudulently utilised finances. Obadiah Biraro, the Auditor General during his presentation yesterday. Sam Ngendahimana. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, PAC Chairperson, said they should focus on performance audit report consisting of evaluating the value for money, a practice that needs advanced analytical skills. “It has been seen that financial statements might be clean, but when we look at the implementation and activities done on the field, sometimes there is a negative correlation: a lot of money spent and few results,” he said. He added: “PAC will continue to put forward resolutions that make sure that people who embezzle public funds are held accountable.” Prof. Omar Munyaneza, the Chairperson of the Committee on Budget and National Patrimony, said the skills will help them ascertain whether national budget preparation gives priority to programmes that can improve the livelihoods of citizens. “It will help us know whether the funds requested for a given programme is necessary by considering its potential impact,” Munyaneza said, noting that they will be evaluating budget implementation so as to avoid recurrence of identified inefficiencies. PAC is mandated to examine reports from the Auditor General, and to investigate if the money allocated to government agencies is properly spent and delivers intended results. On the other hand, the Committee on National Budget and Patrimony is responsible for issues relating to consideration of the draft State budget and follow-up on the poverty reduction strategies, among other tasks. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Checks and balances: MPs tipped on govt oversight