In a dramatic turn of events, officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports were dismissed from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament for appearing disorganized in their submissions.
The committee, chaired by Vice Chairperson Gorreth Namugga, was unimpressed with the Ministry's team, led by Permanent Secretary Dr. Kedrace Turyatemba, for failing to bring the necessary officers to respond to audit queries.
The queries in question related to the Project for Vocational Education phase 2, which is funded by a $14 million OPEC loan and $2.4 million in government counterpart funding.
However, the project manager's inability to explain why the government had spent over shs30 billion as counterpart funding, instead of the allocated shs10 billion, raised serious concerns.
Despite a 20-minute suspension to allow the project accountant to appear, the officials failed to provide satisfactory answers, prompting the committee to dismiss them.
"The Ministry officials have been given until next week to get organized with their accountability," Namugga stated.
The dismissal highlights the committee's commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
As Namugga emphasized, "We cannot allow officials to appear before us without being properly prepared to answer our questions."
The Ministry of Education and Sports has been given a second chance to redeem itself, but the stakes are high. As the committee awaits their return, one thing is clear: accountability and transparency will be paramount.