Tanzania: State Has No Plans to Meddle in Naot Duties, House Told

By Katare Mbashiru in Dodoma

THE government has stated categorically that it has no plans whatsoever to meddle in the

responsibilities of the National Audit Office (NAOT) especially on opinions it issues in various audit reports.

The government's stance was issued by Deputy Minister for Finance and Planning while responding to a question by Bunda Member of Parliament (MP-CCM) Boniphace Getere.

In his question, Mr Getere said that in the recent years, there have been several kinds of opinion issued by NAOT some being professional, some unqualified opinions, which are conflicting, adding: " Does it mean that an institution or authority that receives unqualified opinion is really clean?"

He made the remark while alleging that some institutions receive unqualified opinion, while in the real sense they still swindle public funds.

The legislator wanted the government to intervene saying the opinion provided by the office of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) was a way of hiding rot in some entities and Local Government Authorities.

Responding, Member of Parliament for Kondoa, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, who is also the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning said that the law gives CAG mandate to conduct various audits and issue reports independently.

The major objective is to find out if income and expenditure of public funds tally by considering International Public Sector.

Accounting Standards (IPSAS), she said, adding that there were four different kinds of audit reports. Unqualified opinion according to the deputy minister was an auditor's opinion that the funds are fairly presented in line with a specified area.

Unlike an adverse or disclaimer of opinion, a qualified opinion is generally still acceptable to lenders, creditors and investors.

Audit reports can equally be centred on issues where auditors believe are serious and have adverse effects on public funds.

In the course, Dr Kijaji maintained that the government had no plans whatsoever to intervene on the responsibilities of CAG.

By coming up with new recommendations it means the government would be contravening IPSAS and the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI) which the government of Tanzania ratified.