By Katare Mbashiru in Dodoma
THE Controller and Auditor General (CAG), Charles Kichere, has launched a special audit in the 1.3tri/- issued to different ministries and public entities by the government to mitigate Covid -19 effects in the country.
Speaking during the NAOT Workers Council, Mr Kichere said the Supreme Audit Institution shall leave no stone unturned, warning that those who will be found guilty of misusing the money will not be spared.
According to Mr Kichere, the audit seeks to see if the money provided was spent in accordance with laws, procedures, directives and guidelines in the public service.
"I want to insist that every institution which received this money will be thoroughly audited and I wish to reiterate that there is not any single penny that will be squandered," added Mr Kichere.
In October last year, when launching a 1.3tri/- stout development programme that aims at transforming the nation in different sectors mainly in education, health, water and tourism sectors, President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned off swindlers, saying she won't spare anybody, who will chop any shilling from the money.
She said any government official who would misuse, misallocate or embezzle the funds would discover her true colours.
President Samia stated at an event to launch the much-touted Socioeconomic Response Plan (TCRP), which entailed how the country would spend 567.25 million US dollars (about 1.3tri/) the International Monetary Fund (IMF) supported in the development programmes for prosperity and address Covid -19 pandemic effects in the country.
The president tasked the CAG to make sure that his office conducts auditing of the projects, insisting that whoever would swindle the money would face the music.
"I won't spare anybody who will chop any shilling from this money and whoever will do that will know that my skin colour is not brown just as many of you may think," she raised a red flag.
At the Workers' Council meeting yesterday, which was officiated by Chief Secretary Ambassador Hussein Katanga, the CAG said his office had a total of 933 employees out of which, 721 were auditors while the remaining 212 were from other professions.
He was however, quick to point out that NAOT had a scarcity of 104 auditors, something that was delaying some important audit works in his office to be timely completed, and therefore, he requested the Chief Secretary, who is the Head of Public Service to help his office have the scarcity covered.
In his speech, Ambassador Katanga said because of the great job done by NAOT his office had no obligation to honour the CAG's request. He directed Mr Kichere to officially write to his office, so that the procedures to have 104 new employees can immediately kick off.
This is the first time for Mr Katanga, almost a year since he was appointed by President Samia as Chief Secretary, to officiate public events organised by public entities, apart from attending events for swearing-in top leaders appointed by the president.
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