Scrutiny of State House expenditures reveals major discrepancies
State House's financial records revealed that a staggering Shs913 billion was spent in the last fiscal year.
Officials from State House, led by the State House Comptroller Jane Barekye, faced tough questions from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament today over unutilized warrants amounting to over Shs100 billion.
The committee scrutinised the State House's budget performance, demanding explanations for why unspent funds were not returned to the consolidated fund.
State House's financial records revealed that a staggering Shs913 billion was spent in the last fiscal year.
Key expenditures included Shs292.418 billion on personal items for the President, such as clothes, shoes, and beddings.
Additional significant expenses included Shs70 billion on inland travels, Shs5 billion on foreign travels, Shs80 billion on presidential donations, and Shs10 billion on aircraft maintenance.
"We are deeply concerned about these discrepancies," said Namugga Goreth, Woman MP for Mawogola South.
"How did the Minister for Science and Technology transfer this money and even fail to utilise it? Who gave her the authority?"
The audit report highlighted that 184 million shillings was spent on veterinary services, despite no clear record of the livestock held by the State House.
Further scrutiny revealed that Shs93.4 billion remained unspent in the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) account as of June 30, 2023.
"During the financial year, Shs189,769,124,810 was warranted to State House, of which Shs96,369,551,184 was spent, leaving a balance of Shs93,399,573,626," explained Barekye.
She acknowledged the unutilized funds were still in the STI operations account in the Bank of Uganda.
The PAC has demanded detailed lists of all beneficiaries of presidential donations and the 20 billion shillings spent on school fees for 3,400 students.
"We want the list of all beneficiaries of the presidential donations, also the list of all beneficiaries of the school fees from the president," stated a PAC member.
The inquiry continues as MPs seek clarity on the management of public funds by the State House and associated ministries.
