Committee queries audits quality

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed reservations on the quality of audits of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and has since asked the National Audit Office (NAO) to improve to ensure public confidence.

The committee’s concern comes against a background of some controlling officers in MDAs appearing to cook up information when they appear before parliamentary committees to explain audit queries.

Last week, the committee met controlling officers from some city and district councils over the 2015/16 Auditor General’s report for local government councils. In the meetings, the controlling officers were asked to explain why some files were missing during audits, lack of supporting documents for purchases and missing fuel and sales registers when auditors come.

In an interview on Thursday after meeting four councils, PAC chairperson Alekeni Menyani said there was need for NAO to improve its verification procedure.

He said: “As a committee, we would like to advise NAO to up their game in terms of the quality of audits to avoid raising doubts on some of the certification.

“As a committee, we sometimes feel the verified documents are cooked up. The quality of some exit meetings leave a lot to be desired. NAO has to improve.”

But acting Auditor General Thomas Makiwa assured the committee not to worry about results of the exit report, saying the evidence given is verified and that they follow proper procedures.

Makiwa said controlling officers are issued with a management letter on time and that they know what they are supposed to do.

He alleged that some controlling officers tend to relax when the NAO team sends them the letters.