PAC sends back PS for ill-preparedness

The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) on Thursday sent back Ministry of Labour controlling officer for being ill prepared for a scheduled meeting.

In an interview, committee chairperson Mark Botomani said the Principal Secretary Chikondano Mussa did not provide documentation pertaining to the queries she came to respond to.

Said Botomani: “We are suspending this engagement so that we can meet when you have organised the things you are supposed to present.”

In a separate interview, Mussa acknowledged that she was not fully prepared, but came because she was honouring the committee’s invitation.

She said she was new to the ministry, adding that some officers were yet to bring all the required documentation.

Said Mussa: “Sometimes all the documents are not found on the same place other documents will have to be sent from far and we check them to see how credible they are.”

The committee invited her to explain queries raised in the 2022 Auditor General’s report.

According to Botomani, the queries include why the ministry bypassed the internal procurement committee to make a procurement of about K85 million.

In another query, the ministry is reported to have paid members of staff K292 million in allowances without proper documentation.

Said Botomani: “To us these are serious queries which require explanation. We are not saying that they are in the wrong but we still need to hear them out so that at the end we can say, as a committee, what we think about those developments.”

He said they have not appointed a date for the next meeting, but it has to be in before the 25th before Parliament rises.