The Mbarara District headquarters Kamukuzi was the scene of intense drama as the District Public Accounts Committee (DPAC) and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) clashed over the fate of two District Health Department Officers. The dispute arose from a query on the accountability of UGX 13 million, which had been requisitioned by the head of the Health Department, Dr. Peter Ssebutinde, and later paid to Mbarara General Referral Hospital without any accompanying receipts.
During the two-day DPAC meeting, Dr. Ssebutinde was grilled by the committee, who argued that while it was his responsibility to requisition the money, he should also have ensured that receipts were obtained. Dr. Ssebutinde explained that it was the responsibility of his Accountant to collect receipts, and that the rest of the payment process was completed by the Accountant.
The DPAC Chairman, Herbert Kamugisha, directed for the arrest of the Health Department Accountant, who had failed to appear before the committee. He argued that she was the right person to be held responsible for the query, as it had taken her one year to account for the money. The CAO, Edward Kasagara, however, intervened and challenged the decision, arguing that it was the responsibility of the DHO to account for the money and not his subordinate, the Accountant.
Tensions rose between the two bosses, with Kamugisha accusing Kasagara of defending wrongdoers, including the CAO himself, who had failed to do his job as a civil servant. Kamugisha argued that heads of department were not responsible for payments and that it was the role of Accountants to account for finances within their departments. He insisted that the Accountant must face the police and make a statement, either exonerating or pinning her boss, the DHO.
Kasagara, on the other hand, challenged the committee, arguing that it was the responsibility of Dr. Ssebutinde to account for the money, as he had requisitioned it. He accused the committee of targeting the wrong person and argued that the DHO should be held accountable for the query.
After much debate, the committee resolved to give the last warning to the accountants of the department and take note that they must stop playing around with Government money. Kamugisha warned that any similar issues in the future would result in the police being directed to arrest the person in charge of unaccounted government money, including the CFOs, who would also be held responsible.
The dispute between the DPAC and the CAO highlighted the need for accountability in the management of government funds. It also underscored the importance of clear delineation of roles and responsibilities in financial management, to avoid such conflicts in the future.
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