CAG REPORTS: Analysts commend improvements

DAMIAN GOWELA and SAMWEL MWALONGO

President Samia receives CAG report

…Propose effective measures to curb revenue loss

ANALYSTS have applauded efforts made by the government which led to reduction of

qualified opinions in the 2022/2023 Controller and Auditor General’ s (CAG) audited reports, recommending that effective measures should be taken to plug loopholes of revenue loss.
The development comes after the CAG Charles Kichere on Thursday highlighted significant improvements in Government Audit Reports (GARs) for the 2022/2023 fiscal year when presenting them to President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) also presented the bureau’s performance report for similar fiscal year to the Head of State at the Chamwino State House in Dodoma.
PCCB Director General CP Salum Hamduni also raised red flags of corruption in the execution of some development projects in the country worth 7.7 tri/-.
Speaking in separate interviews with ‘Sunday News’ they said the improvements in the audit reports are commendable noting that it signifies that the management of government funds has been enhanced especially in complying with procurement procedures and expenditures.
They said the government should work on the CAG’s recommendations with the same weight that he has placed in his reports.
St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) Lecturer Dotto Bulendu said it is high time the government instituted effective measures to prevent the leakage of government funds.
“There are still complaints regarding inadequate action on the CAG’s recommendations…the government should work on this with the same weight he placed in his reports,” Mr Bulendu underscored.

Regarding the government institutions that operate at a loss, Bulendu who is also the Director of Mwanza -based Radio SAUT FM, implored the government to evaluate the competence of the boards that govern the entities.

‘It is high time the government looked more closely at the entire appointment system of the boards that manage these government institutions in order to find competent board members in various areas,” he added.
In particular, he commended the government for its efforts to continue investing in its institutions while congratulating public entities that performed well.
Echoing Bulendo’s views, Senior Lecturer at the Economic Department of Mzumbe University Dr Romanus Dimoso also commended the government’s efforts in reducing the number of qualified opinions while discouraging the persistent bureaucracy in government institutions.
Dr Dimoso also stressed on the need for strengthening measures to address bureaucracy in government institutions whilst calling for concerted effort to combat corruption and promote patriotism among civil servants.
“As the nation strives towards economic growth and development, the commitment to address financial irregularities and strengthening oversight mechanisms remains essential for sustainable progress,” Dr Dimoso said.
In a related development, he called for collaborative efforts among government institutions, stakeholders and citizens to uphold integrity, accountability and foster a culture of transparency across all sectors.
For his part, a lecturer at the University of Dodoma, Dr Paul Loisulie said the increase in the number of unqualified opinions show at least the institutions have understood the importance of complying with procurement procedures and expenditures of government funds.
He urged the government to come up with special strategies to identify the challenges in the public institutions that have been leading to loss of government revenue annually.
“For the public institutions that are causing losses, it is the right time for the government to go a little bit far instead of waiting for the CAG to bring a report showing losses,” he emphsised.
Adding:” An assessment should be done for those institutions; they should be asked why they underperform to know the root cause of the problem whether it is competence or other factors such limited resources.”
Coupled with that, he encouraged the public servants to increase efficiency in their workplace for the betterment of the nation citing the current unsatisfactory performance of the UDA Rapid Transit Public Limited Company (UDART).