By Andrew Irumba
Legislators sitting on the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) led by Kawempe Legislator Mubarak Munyagwa, have today grilled Bank of Uganda officials for appearing without a letter from the accounting officer.
The officials led by the deputy governor Louis Kasekende, had appeared before COSASE to respond to outstanding Auditor General’s queries and accusations involving the lack of a statutory accounting officer at the Central bank. The legislators rejected Kasekende’s submission and kicked him out of the committee together with other officials from BoU. Sources also indicate that BoU officials have for several years been implementing their duties with impunity due to the unfilled position of the principal accounting officer. Legislators ordered BoU officials to return with a letter from the Secretary to Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, and the sections of the law that appoints the Governor as the accounting officer.
Munyagwa and other Members of Parliament accused the deputy governor of disrespecting the committee. Munyagwa said that “Already, Kasekende was talking to us with arrogance knowing there is nothing we can do to him. Even if we found evidence of abuse of public funds, he will not accept to be apprehended, he will tell us that he is not the accounting officer for Bank of Uganda, he is vice chairman board. Even Mutebile will tell you the same thing; that he is chairman board and not the accounting officer.” He added that “We have summoned the Secretary to the Treasury Muhakanizi who has the mandate to appoint accounting officers to tell us who is the accounting officer for Bank of Uganda. We asked Bank of Uganda officials to answer the question and they were fumbling. That’s why we decided to send them away.”
