MPs put UNOC on the spot over budget discrepancies

Officials from the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) found a hard time explaining queries from the 2022/2023 Auditor General's report when they appeared before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee.

Among the queries was the mismatch in their budget allocations, expenditures and absorption capacity that left MPs on the committee dissatisfied.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Muwanga Kivumbi had no option but to send them away till they get their numbers in check.

Parliament approved a supplementary budget for UNOC under immerse pressure as it was regarded as an emergency only for UNOC to turn around an invest in the said funds treasury bills

"This money was borrowed from the domestic market and you went ahead and borrowed to the same government what are we running," Kivumbi said.

That was not the only query the public oversight committee discovered, the budget allocations and expenditure could not tally.

"We appropriate money based on output and activity through ministry of finance for approved budget," Kivumbi said.

"They transferred to you money to do a specific activity within approved budget framework in the appropriation act where it features. You diverted the money for some time into an activity not approve."

After failure to convince the members of the committee, Kivumbi was forced to send them away to reorganize and come back with the rights numbers.

"We are adjourning the meeting, go reconcile your figures and come back," he said.

For purposes of progress please furnish us with the entire funding and how it’s been running up to date for EACOP.

PAC central was interfacing with a number of government institutions including ministry if micro finance who the committee chanced before they could even explain for failing to show with required documents to defend their budget allocations and expenditure.