Chronicle Editor
Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
PARLIAMENTARIANS have said the budget vote of US $7 million allocated to the Auditor General is not adequate for her to effectively carry out her mandate.
The Office of the Auditor General was allocated nearly US$7,8 million in the 2019 National Budget which has sailed through the National Assembly.
Parliament last year re-appointed Ms Mildred Chiri as the country’s Auditor-General following the expiry of her term and rejected the nomination of former Industrial Development Corporation boss Mike Ndudzo.
Mufakose legislator (MDC Alliance) Ms Paurina Mpariwa first moved the motion on the budget allocated to the AG saying it must be reconsidered.
“I will not take much of your time but I think honourable chair, if you may recall during the presentation of the debates in terms of reports for Portfolio Committees, I presented the report of the Public Accounts Committee and we bemoaned the paltry allocation in terms of the budget. I am really appealing to the house, I also appealed to all Members that if the AG has to be effective and carry out responsibilities, the Minister really needs to reconsider the budget in the AGs office,” said Ms Mpariwa.
“If the Government is serious about dealing with corruption, with all the reports and with additional responsibilities in terms of local authorities that the AG was not dealing with, it is my humble submission that the budget be reconsidered by the Minister.”
Harare East MP Tendai Biti (MDC Alliance) asked Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube to take US$10 million from the unallocated reserve and allocate it to the Auditor General.
“The Auditor General is so key in the Constitution in terms of financial oversight. She is going to attend to forensic audits, she is going to attend to value for money audits and she is going to attend to her normal job and her normal job is very extensive. She has to audit the vote of each Government entity. She has to audit parastatals and she has to audit local authorities.
“The budget of US$7 million will not enable her to carry out her work. So, I appeal to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development to take US$10 million from the unallocated reserves and give to Vote number 6 so she at least has US$17 million to enable her to carry out her important constitutional work,” said Mr Biti.
Buhera South legislator (Zanu-PF) Cde Joseph Chinotimba said the vote allocated to the Auditor General was sufficient for her to carry out her duties.
Minister Ncube defended the budget allocation saying that it was actually an increase from last year’s allocation.
“I must hasten to say in reply, Hon Chair, that last year’s budget, which is the 2018 budget, is US$5 million and we are moving it to US$7 763 000. That is well over 50 percent increase. That is a major increase.
“You see when we budget and I implore honourable members, I will say even my former colleague since he held the portfolio, we work in terms of ratio percentages and not levels. So, once our percentages are out of kilter then we cannot scientifically justify the increases we are making,” said Prof Ncube.
He added: “So we use things like inflation and so forth to make the adjustments. I feel that a more than 50 percent increase for the AG’s office is okay. We have reserves. We can always apply reserves, that are correct, but a 50 percent increase is more than adequate at this stage”.
The AG, Ms Chiri joined the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor-General as an audit assistant in 1983, rising through the ranks to the position of Comptroller and Auditor-General in February 2004.
During her tenure, she managed to clear a backlog of the annual Comptroller and Auditor-General’s reports, which had lagged behind since the year 2000.
She has also been credited for exposing the rot in parastatals without fear or favour.
In her financial year ending December 31, 2017 audit report, Ms Chiri said there were 21 State entities failing to uphold good corporate governance thereby failing to provide services sustainably.
– @AuxiliaK
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